


Pitch's Game

by SpyroForLife



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Blow Jobs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dancing, Dirty Talk, Drinking, Emotional Hurt, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, First Time, Friends With Benefits, Grinding, Hand Jobs, Knotting, Light BDSM, M/M, Not Compliant With Book Series, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Post-Rise of the Guardians (2012), Riding, Riding Crops, Rimming, Rough Sex, kink discussion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:00:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 72,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28396554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpyroForLife/pseuds/SpyroForLife
Summary: What started as a game to keep children safe from Pitch Black's terror by offering up his own fear quickly becomes far more than Jack Frost ever expected. As it turns out, Pitch is not at all malicious toward him. In fact, Pitch greatly appreciates his company. He has no intention of hurting Jack and if he's going to be scaring him, why not make it enjoyable too? After all, it takes fear AND joy to create thrill.Though Jack believes Pitch's relationship with him is sincere, and Pitch even agrees to explore beneficial uses for his powers rather than solely feeding on Jack, the other Guardians have their suspicions when they learn of this "game." Has Pitch truly changed? Or is Jack, too, being played?
Relationships: E. Aster Bunnymund/Jack Frost, Jack Frost/Pitch Black
Comments: 71
Kudos: 157





	1. Let the Game Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is going to be a very self-indulgent Black Ice fic that will be, as the tags point out, basically porn but with an overarching plot. It's my first time writing for Rise of the Guardians and I am not following the canon from the books, as I never read them. I'm pretty much only working with what the movie provides, though I may borrow little details from the books if I think something will be useful. Nonetheless, consider this Guardians of Childhood noncompliant. This Pitch isn't possessed by Fearlings, he's merely a spirit whose center is fear. With those explanations out of the way, enjoy!

After Pitch Black’s defeat at the hands of Jack Frost and the other Guardians, he didn’t quite disappear, but he wasn’t near as much of a threat. Though he did recover the strength to travel occasionally, feeding on fears and causing some of his own, he seemed to do his best to avoid another serious defeat by the Guardians.

Any time one of them did notice him at work, he would find a shadow to jump into and then vanish, teleporting far away. Sometimes he would linger and give a few choice insults, provoking his target into attacking him only to flee through the shadows, laughing as he went. On rare occasions he would even trade blows with the Guardian he had come across, teasing them and dropping underhanded compliments, before again taking off before he could be stopped or captured.

It was frustrating but the Guardians were far too busy to spend much time trying to stop him. Compared to his previous behavior, Pitch came across mostly as a nuisance. He wasn’t causing any serious harm. None of the children were being manipulated into not believing, they simply had nightmares more often or were spooked by strange noises or shadows while outside at night. Nothing harmful, just a little startling.

So, while Pitch was discussed often when the Guardians met up, they didn’t make any big plans to go after him. They figured he was just trying to agitate and distract them. Unless he started something big, they just didn’t have time for him.

Though Jack wouldn’t admit it, he kind of liked when he was the one who came across Pitch. They had fallen into a habit of greeting each other quite politely and Pitch almost always wanted to spar with him. So Jack would use his frost lightning and Pitch would use his shadows, the two racing and almost dancing around each other as they fought, trying to get the upper hand.

They would bicker while they fought, insulting whatever they could think of about each other, and both usually laughed as the remarks became increasingly ridiculous. Jack would always win in the end. Having more believers now while Pitch had none meant he was much stronger, though Pitch was also slowly gaining strength.

Another fight ended and Pitch said, “Alright, I’ve been bested! But you haven’t seen the last of me!”

“Same time next week?” Jack replied.

Pitch laughed at that. “I believe that’s Bunny’s turn to try and stop me from accomplishing my plans.”

“Yeah but he’s always trying to get me to cover for him. So maybe this time I’ll actually say yes, so I can keep my eye on you instead.”

“And why would you prefer to see me rather than let one of your friends deal with me? They all like to beat on me as much as you do so it’s not like you’re special in that regard.”

“I just like fighting you,” Jack admitted. “It’s exciting and I get to really let loose with my powers.”

“Is that so? Well then. I like fighting you too. Far more than the others. It almost feels like we’re playing a game.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “It’s fun.”

“It is! I’m so glad you understand.” Then Pitch offered him a smile, one he’s made several times before and it always tugged at Jack’s heart. It was an unsure but genuine look, his eyes seeming to say that he wanted to keep spending time with Jack.

Jack knew how lonely he was. His fights with the Guardians, while partly a way to inconvenience them, was also his only way to be seen and acknowledged by others. Even if the other Guardians treated him with hostility, they still gave him attention and that was what he craved.

Not for the first time, Jack considered inviting Pitch to stay and hang out. He naturally wanted to get close to someone who has been as lonely as him. But then he told himself he couldn’t. Pitch was the enemy. If he got close to him only for Pitch to use that and manipulate him, he would be undoing everything that he and the Guardians fought for.

So he looked away from that sincere expression that asked so plainly for friendship, and said, “Yeah. See you next week.”

“Jack-” Pitch started to say, then stopped himself. Jack looked over and saw a strange, dark sort of look cross Pitch’s face for a brief moment. It was unsettling. Then Pitch’s expression was calm, other than how he showed his teeth in a slight snarl as he said, “You all are only delaying the inevitable, I will regain the power I had before and I will plunge this world into darkness!”

Jack responded by hitting him in the chest with a bolt of frost lightning. Pitch gasped and reeled back, rubbing his chest and lashing out with a blade made of shadows in return. Jack dodged backward and shadows surrounded Pitch, the other slipping into them and disappearing.

Jack sighed once he was gone, resting his staff against his shoulder as he paced. He wished it didn’t have to be like this. That he could find a way for Pitch to be believed in without Pitch using his resulting power for evil.

He thought about the hopeful way Pitch had looked at him. It was obvious he wanted a friend. Jack thought back to their meeting in Antarctica. The raw sincerity in the other’s voice when he said that he believed in him. That he knew what it was like to be alone. How he longed for a family and thought Jack would understand.

Jack’s heart ached. He did understand. He understood plenty. While he considered the Guardians friends, their relationship felt somewhat professional. They liked him because he was a fellow Guardian. But he didn’t feel that same sort of spark with them that he felt toward Pitch.

He called the wind over just so he could leap up into a nearby pine tree. He hopped up through the branches and settled on one, gazing at the sky. It was night, which was usually when Pitch liked to strike. Tonight was also a new moon, so Jack couldn’t see Manny. Which was fine by him. Though Manny was the one who gave him his powers, he still had a sore spot from the other going hundreds of years never speaking to him and letting him be alone.

And as hard as it was for him, he knew it must have been harder for Pitch. How long was he alone? Thousands of years? Nothing but people’s fears to keep him company as he slowly built his strength from within his lair? It sounded like a dark existence. At least Jack could spend his time flying from town to town, traveling the world and seeing new people, using his powers to help them have fun throughout the otherwise bleak winter.

It still didn’t measure up to actually talking to people but at least he could see others. Pitch had just been alone.

Jack considered going to talk to Pitch. He knew the way into his lair. But going there would be making himself vulnerable. There were no winds down there to ride on. It was cool but the air was dry, unsuitable for making much snow out of. Jack could make snow entirely himself but it would take more power, and Pitch could take advantage of him being weakened. Plus, it was Pitch’s domain. His home field, so to speak. He knew the layout far better than Jack did. He could quickly move through its shadows and give himself an advantage. Jack was pretty confident in his strength but that was the one place where he was sure Pitch could strike him down.

Even so, he wanted to go find him. He wanted to talk to him. The two of them weren’t so different and if Jack was in Pitch’s place, he would want a true friend. It would make the days just a little more bearable.

Jack decided he would go talk to him in the morning. For now, he would rest and recover his strength from the battle.

He got comfortable against the trunk of the tree and relaxed, closing his eyes and drifting off.

The sound of birds chirping woke Jack up. He sighed as he stretched, checking the sky. It was sunrise. It felt like it was going to be a warm day. Summer was in full swing in this part of the world but the nights were still occasionally chilly thanks to him. But he was looking forward to fall.

He grabbed his staff from the branch he had hung it on and jumped from the tree, flying high into the air. He did a few spins for fun, darting around alongside some birds and almost managing to touch the tail feathers of one before it flew out of the way.

He laughed and turned to head toward the entrance to Pitch’s lair. There were multiple but he used the one he was most familiar with, the one next to the pond he had drowned in hundreds of years ago.

His mind went to the memories of when he first emerged from the ice. How he was confused and uncertain of his place in the world, knowing only that his name was Jack Frost and the Moon had told him so. He had tried to interact with the people of the nearby village, which he now knew was the very village he had lived in as a human. But no one could see him. They had walked through him. It had been a gut-wrenching sensation.

And just like that, he was thinking about how Pitch had looked when he was defeated months ago. The stricken expression when a child passed through him like he wasn’t there. His eyes had widened with such pain that Jack had sympathized with him. Despite everything, he had wanted to reach out and tell him it was okay, he knew he was there, and if he was willing to change, maybe he could be believed in again…

But Pitch had run, and his fears had been so strong that his own creations, the Nightmares, had dragged him away.

Jack dove feet first into the tunnel next to the pond. He knew the other Guardians wouldn’t approve of this. But it felt like the right thing to do. He was going to follow his heart.

For a while, darkness surrounded him and he heard a rush of air as he fell. Then he could feel the air change and knew the tunnel was about to widen. He prepared for it and used what little wind had come down with him to jump up onto one of the stone walkways that crossed the immense cavern he was in. There were large, dark towers all around him and above were empty cages. He had to wonder what Pitch used those for. Considering their size… humans?

He swallowed and walked around, staff up and ready. Then he reconsidered and held it more loosely. He wanted to talk, after all. Maybe he shouldn’t show aggression.

Even though the cavern was huge, he still began to feel like it was too small. He couldn’t feel the wind. He couldn’t see the sky. It was too enclosed, too unnerving, there was so much ground above him blocking his way to the surface…

His heart sped up and he began breathing more quickly as fear crowded around the edges of his mind. He told himself to get a grip. He was okay. He knew the way out of here. The wind would be able to get him and pull him back up through that tunnel once he asked it to.

But he was still afraid. Pitch may chat with him while battling but maybe he didn’t want Jack here. Maybe he’ll try to fight him, and in this atmosphere, Jack wasn’t too sure he would win.

Pitch could badly hurt him and the Guardians might not find out for days or weeks. Pitch could capture him. Torture him!

Jack’s throat felt tight and he tried to take some calming breaths as he twirled his staff in his hands. The motion helped settle him.

“Torture, huh?” a familiar voice said behind him.

Jack yelped and spun, his staff sparking with ice as he prepared to attack. But Pitch’s arms were behind his back and he was relaxed, showing no intent to attack him.

Pitch smirked. “As much as I enjoy tormenting people, I’m not especially fond of crude torture methods. I prefer to break minds. Not bodies. Although, if torture is what scares you…” He drew closer, a wicked grin on his face. “Perhaps I could scrounge up an old rack or some thumbscrews or something, hm?”

Jack shook his head, using his staff to push the other a safe distance back. “You’re sick.”

“Are you just now figuring that out?” Pitch laughed but then his expression grew serious and he prodded the staff aside. “Why are you here?”

For a moment, Jack worried that Pitch would find his motivation childish and laughable. But he pressed through the anxiety and said, “I want to talk.”

There was a barely noticeable change in Pitch’s expression. “About?”

“Anything. You’re all by yourself down here and I just… thought you’d like to hang out.”

Pitch’s eyes widened slightly. “You actually want to spend time with me?”

“Sure. I don’t like thinking about you being all alone except for when you leave to harass me and the others, so… I want to hang out and talk.”

“So you’re visiting out of pity?”

“What? No, it’s not pity, I mean… okay I do feel bad for you, but it’s because I understand. I spent so long wanting to be believed in. Now I am, but you’re not. I know it hurts being invisible. So I want to tell you that I see you, and I believe in you.”

Pitch stared at him for a bit and Jack watched him closely, prepared for him to lash out or simply leave. Then Pitch’s expression softened and he said, “You’re so compassionate compared to the others. You have a trusting heart. Despite you going through what I have, you haven’t become jaded and withdrawn. I will admit, I… admire it.” He moved to a nearby iron bench and sank onto it.

Jack sat next to him.

Pitch looked up at the cavern roof high above them for a bit, then said, “I’m surprised you’re just here to talk. I figured you’d be here to try and negotiate with me. To tell me to never spread fear again and you’ll let me into your little club or whatever.”

Jack laughed but his chest twisted a bit. He did want to help Pitch become a better person but he decided to wait a while before bringing that up. “Telling you not to spread fear is like telling me not to spread fun. It’s who we are.”

“Well I’m glad you understand. The others treat me like a monster but I’m a force of nature like they are. The world needs hope, wonder, dreams, memories, fun… and fear. Even if they don’t want to hear it.”

“If people were fearless, they would be reckless,” Jack said. “Fear is uncomfortable but it’s like that for a reason. It’s meant to tell you that you’re doing something dangerous. Something not fit for survival. The dark? Scary because you can’t see and a predator could be out there ready to eat you. Heights? Scary because if you fall you could die. So on. I don’t think fear should disappear at all. I just think fears… should be necessary ones.” He met Pitch’s eyes. “And not ones intentionally brought on with nightmares, making people afraid for no reason when they’re safe in bed.”

Pitch looked thoughtful. “There’s certainly more than enough natural fear out there for me to enjoy. But there’s just something about bringing it on myself that gives me such a rush. You like when it snows naturally, I’m sure? But you still cause storms yourself. It’s fun wielding that control. Shaping things to your liking. Makes the result more satisfying.”

“I can understand that. But it doesn’t feel right to intentionally hurt people.”

“No? Every time you use your power, I can guarantee that someone somewhere gets hurt. Whether it’s as simple as tripping into the snow or something far worse like fatally crashing their car. You hurt people just like I do. But the benefits of what you do are worth it, hm?”

“No, that’s…” Jack felt cold. And not a pleasant sort of cold. “I don’t want that to happen, I mean I know it does, and it always makes me feel bad, but… winter happens anyway, I just want people to have fun during it.”

“And they do! There’s so much fun to be had, especially during the holidays. But while some have fun, others get sick. They get depressed. Bad things happen, Jack. And you can’t stop that. So I imagine you don’t dwell on it, right?”

Jack didn’t like to think about it. At the back of his mind he was always aware of the negatives of winter. But he tried to keep the season as light and happy as he could for others. “Right. I can’t change that some people get hurt. I don’t intentionally do that to them. It’s just… a side effect.”

“But regardless, they are harmed. It’s the same with my power. The benefits of fear outweigh the downsides. Maybe, sometimes, people awake screaming from terrifying visions in their dreams. But then they find out they’re alive and well, that all of it was fake. No true harm done, right? But their fears will protect them as they go about their lives. And some even consider fear to be a friend. Thrill seekers. I’m sure you know them.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. A lot of humans do scary stuff because it’s fun. They like being afraid. Horror movies are popular for a reason.”

“Oh yes. Horror movies, extreme sports, roller coasters, haunted houses. They intentionally go into situations that terrify them… for the thrill.” Pitch smiled at him. “Fear isn’t bad. You said so yourself. So really, is it such a big deal if I share it with the world?”

“The world you want is one where people are constantly afraid. Where they’ll have no room for fun or wonder or anything. Fear’s not helping them then. It’s just a weapon. So you can feed off them.”

“Hm, so you want me to find a balance, I take it? I can cause fear as long as I leave room for all that happiness you Guardians are obsessed with?”

“I still would prefer you not intentionally scare people at all, but since I’m not any better… yes. Cause fear if you want. But let people be hopeful afterward. Besides, if they were always being scared… they’d get used to it. It would just become normal for them. Probably not very fun for you.”

“No, it’s not,” Pitch admitted. He gazed across his lair for a bit. Then he began to smile. “Hm. The others will probably keep trying to fight me if I go about my work up there though, won’t they?”

“Probably. Even if you’re only messing with a few people, they’ll probably want to stop you.”

“Of course. So I have an idea. I don’t necessarily need human fears to grow stronger… any fear works. Including the fear of other spirits.” Pitch gave him a hungry look that made him grow tense. “If you keep spending time with me and you let yourself be afraid sometimes, I can feed off you.”

“Oh. That’s… hm.” Jack moved away slightly. “I’m not really afraid of you, though.”

“You don’t have to be afraid of me. Though you were certainly afraid earlier that I was going to ambush you, which ironically lured me right to you. You have a delightful fear. It’s cold and such a pretty blue. It tastes like sparkles. I would gladly feed on it as long as you let me.”

Jack was a little unnerved by that description. And even those mild feelings of worry and distress were enough to make the other smile more widely.

“There you are, already you’re becoming scared. Good, Jack. So kind of you to help me out. We could make a game out of this, seeing how much I can scare you before you flee. And if you let me do it, I’ll leave the humans alone. Any fear they feel will be their own. I’ll still take it, of course. But I won’t cause it. Nothing unnecessary, hm?”

Jack grew more interested at the mention of a game. “That’s a tempting offer. You leaving people alone and all I have to do is… is let you scare me? What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” Pitch moved closer and settled a hand on Jack’s knee. Jack’s breath caught as he stroked up and down. “Though if I’m not satisfied with the amount of fear I get from you, well… I will go make it up by taking it from a human. Perhaps even a child, one you like… Jamie seems like a good candidate.”

Jack knocked Pitch’s hand away and said, “Okay, fine. We’ll play your stupid game. Scare me all you want. I’ll put up with it.”

“Wonderful. I think I know just what I want to do to put you on edge.” Pitch stood and moved an arm behind Jack’s back. The other went under his knees and before Jack could prepare for what was about to happen, he was being lifted into Pitch’s arms and carried.

“What… hey, what are you doing? Put me down!”

“Relax. All part of the game.”

Jack sighed and relaxed, holding his staff to his chest and looking up as he was carried. It was sort of nice. Pitch was very warm. Jack met his eyes and received a mysterious look. He had no clue what the other was planning, but he intended to go along with it. He just hoped he came out unscathed.


	2. Round One

Jack was taken into one of the towers and saw it was furnished with old but nice chairs, tables, and paintings. They passed through a comfortable living room and Pitch began climbing a spiral staircase.

“Where are we going?” Jack asked.

“You’ll see.”

“It better not be a secret torture chamber where you reveal you were lying about not liking torture.”

Pitch chuckled. “No, nothing like that.”

They reached the top of the stairs and emerged into a new room. There was dark gray carpet underfoot and large windows with black curtains drawn across them.

There was a dresser, a fairly large wardrobe, a small sitting area with an overflowing bookshelf next to it… and a huge four poster bed with dark, midnight blue covers patterned with constellations. The curtains around the bed were solid black and currently drawn open.

“Your bedroom,” Jack observed.

“Brilliant, you really are a credit to the Guardians.”

Jack huffed.

“I want to explore your fears, Jack. I want to get inside your head and see everything that frightens you.” Pitch sat him down on the edge of the bed and stood in front of him, stroking his cheek. “I want to see you vulnerable.”

His tone had lowered and Jack trembled. “There’s… plenty I’m afraid of,” he said. “Like being forgotten again. Or that I’ll do something the Guardians don’t like and they’ll be mad at me, or… or whatever you plan to do with me.”

Pitch covered Jack’s hand and eased his fingers open, wrapping his own hand around the staff. “And what do you think I plan to do?” He tugged on the staff but Jack held firm.

“I’m not sure. But I’m sure it won’t be fun.”

“I think it will be. Now hand that over… I don’t need you panicking and freezing my entire room if I scare you a little too much.”

“You’re not going to hurt me, right?”

“Not at all. You’ll get this back.”

Jack relented and let him have it. Pitch took the staff and stepped back as he looked it over. Then Pitch simply went to lean it against the wall before returning to Jack. His hands went to his thighs and pressed them apart so he could stand between his knees. The motion flustered Jack.

“Now then. I know exactly how I want to frighten you, and I think it will be fun for both of us. It will be thrilling. I want you to be both scared and entertained.”

“Okay,” Jack said tentatively, beginning to get an idea of what the other was planning.

Then Pitch gripped his shoulders and pulled him in, biting his neck.

“Gah!” Jack grabbed the other’s back and frost spiraled from his fingertips, making Pitch shiver. Though the shiver seemed more out of enjoyment and Pitch didn’t let go, instead sinking his teeth in harder. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me!”

Pitch leaned back and smirked at him. “Oh, did that hurt?”

“W-well, it… was shocking.” Jack’s neck ached but it wasn’t really a bad feeling, he realized.

“Here, allow me to make it feel better.” Pitch went back in and Jack exhaled shakily at the sensation of lips on his throat. The pressure and heat made warmth bloom in his core. He grew nervous. Pitch didn’t stop there. He lingered at Jack’s throat, seeming to inhale against it. “You smell like winter,” he purred. “Like a brisk breeze, like frost on the grass… like pine trees. I wonder…” The very tip of his tongue pressed to Jack’s skin and Jack groaned at how warm it was. Pitch drew his tongue up along Jack’s jugular and actually moaned. “You taste like freshly fallen snow. I can taste your innocence.”

Jack was very unsure about all this, it was so unlike anything he’s done before, but Pitch’s touches felt good. “So you’re… gonna scare me by just saying a bunch of weird stuff?”

“I intend to do far more than just say stuff.” Pitch lapped at him again, breath hot on Jack’s skin and making him moan too. He held onto Pitch’s sides, tilting his head back. He was a little freaked out by how much he liked this. He was here in Pitch’s bedroom, right in his enemy’s clutches, and he couldn’t even say he felt entirely safe. But he was enjoying himself. There was an edge of danger to it and he didn’t dwell on the small tingles of fear in his body.

Jack knew what the other wanted. Though it wasn’t something Jack has participated in before, he’s seen enough people in public and watched enough TVs through windows to know… Pitch desired him. He brought him to a bedroom. And here he was between his legs, mouthing at his throat… he wanted to have sex with him.

And Jack wasn’t near as opposed as he figured he would be. He hadn’t cared for the idea before but now that he actually had someone desiring him, pressing so desperately to him, he wanted to keep going. No matter how much it frightened him.

“Scared of intimacy, are we?” Pitch asked.

“No,” Jack said quickly. Pitch ran his lips up the side of Jack’s face to his ear, tongue darting against the lobe. Jack moaned. “I’m not… afraid of intimacy, exactly. I just don’t know what to expect, I’ve never done this…”

“Gotta start somewhere. You’ll do fine. By all means, keep being afraid, I like it. But if you give in to me I can show you how fun this can be.”

Jack nodded and decided to trust him, hoping he didn’t come to regret this.

Pitch moved Jack back and climbed up onto the bed with him. He slipped his boots off and then knelt, pulling Jack to straddle him.

“Ah-” Apprehension went down Jack’s spine.

“Ooh, there was a tasty fear. Been a long, long time since I was able to have someone like this. And with you being a virgin, I am greatly looking forward to seeing what you’re sensitive to. What noises you’ll make for me.”

Jack blushed darker. His entire face felt hot and he could feel it crawling down his front. But he could now see Pitch starting to blush too, the blood dark red on his gray face.

Pitch shrugged his robe down from his shoulders and Jack immediately glanced across his chest as it was revealed. Then he hurriedly looked back up.

Pitch raised a hand to Jack’s face, gently stroking his thumb along his cheekbones. “Do you like what you see?”

“You look good,” Jack said. “Pretty, uh…” His gaze traveled back down. “In shape. Handsome.”

“You find me handsome?”

“Yeah.” Jack met his eyes. “You are.”

Pitch cupped Jack’s cheeks in both hands. “And you’re as gorgeous as sunlight falling on untouched snow.”

Jack’s heart raced and he let Pitch draw him in, eyes falling shut as the other kissed him.

Static passed through his entire body and his thoughts blanked. He ran on instinct as he rested his hands on Pitch’s hips and shifted a bit against him, trying to adjust the angle of his hips and then moaning as a firmness rubbed into his crotch.

Pitch didn’t release him from the kiss quite yet, sparing a moment to breathe and then pressing their lips back together. Jack hesitantly followed the other’s lead as he figured out what to do, parting his lips when he felt Pitch’s tongue against them.

Pitch moved forward and pinned him down, and the extra weight against Jack’s hips made him moan.

He leaned back from Pitch’s mouth. “Nn, Pitch…”

“Legs,” Pitch said, voice husky. “Around my hips. Now.”

“Uh… like this?” Jack draped his legs around Pitch, crossing his ankles.

“Just like that. Keep them there.” Pitch tossed his robe fully off and then loosened his pants. Then he began kissing Jack again.

“Ah…” Jack’s head grew foggy as his body grew hot. This was so unlike anything else he’s felt before. He wanted so much more but he was also scared at the intensity of it.

Pitch deepened the kiss with what sounded like a growl and Jack felt him rock their hips together.

Jack’s moan was muffled against the other’s lips. His fingers clenched as Pitch continued to rut against him. It was rough and he squirmed a little, caught between pleasure and pain.

“Follow me,” Pitch ordered.

Jack found that he liked the orders. It was intimidating but it turned him on. He lifted his own hips into each thrust of the other so they were grinding together.

“Ohh, good, that’s it,” Pitch murmured to him. He rested on an elbow over Jack, free hand stroking his face. He tilted Jack’s head to kiss him deeply, tongue going right in and flickering against the roof of his mouth. He hungrily drank in Jack’s resulting moan.

Jack whined a little as the sensation between his legs edged further into painful territory. His pants felt way too tight. He was more aroused than he could ever remember being in his life.

When Pitch next allowed him a break to speak, he whimpered, “Pitch, please… I need to…”

“Ohh you sound so beautiful when you talk like that,” Pitch purred. His hips never slowed, staying on that steady rhythm that was driving Jack up the wall. “What is it that you need? Talk to me.”

It was so hard to focus on talking. But Jack managed it. “My clothes, please, I need them off.”

“Oh? So eager to be naked with me, are you?”

“It’s too hot, it hurts… I need to take them off.”

“Then go on. Get undressed for me.” Pitch reached behind himself and uncrossed Jack’s ankles, setting them down and then shifting back.

Jack ached even more at the loss of friction. He sat up and quickly pulled his hoodie off. He hadn’t thought himself capable of sweating anymore but he realized this was causing him to. The sweat cooled fast and was forming a thin, patchy layer of ice all over him, but he was sweating all the same.

Once he got the hoodie off over his head and looked back at Pitch, the pure lust he saw made him tremble. It was such an exciting feeling, being desired. Pitch wanted to touch him. He wanted to see him and be close to him, and Jack wanted to be close in return. This felt like something he’s been needing and the fact that it was Pitch giving it to him had him exhilarated.

He had his worries but he didn’t let them control him. Pitch’s eyes promised him wonderful things.

Jack got his pants open and Pitch did the same. They drew them down at the same time and Jack quickly noticed that the other wore underwear while he didn’t. Specifically, he had on boxers that were just as dark as the rest of his clothing.

“Huh, took you for a briefs kind of guy,” Jack remarked, hoping to lighten the mood.

For a moment, Pitch was silent, just staring at him. Then he smiled and said, “Oh no, I happen to find these more comfortable.” He looked down at Jack and grasped his pants, slipping them down further and checking him out. “Meanwhile I’m not surprised you go commando. It’s befitting of your careless nature.”

“It’s never really been uncomfortable for me, so I figured hey… don’t need to bother with underwear.” Jack fidgeted a bit under Pitch’s appraising gaze. “It didn’t really become uncomfortable until now, anyway.”

“Yes, well, sporting an erection is uncomfortable in any material. Except perhaps some sort of loose silk. Ooh, that could feel quite luxurious, actually.” Pitch took Jack’s pants completely off and tossed them aside. His eyes glinted. “Just look at you, all laid out for me like a feast. All this smooth, untouched skin… oh.” He lifted his hands and then trailed his fingers reverently down Jack’s chest and to his stomach. Pitch’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I want to mark you so bad.”

Jack inhaled sharply, both scared and aroused. And Pitch knew it, seemingly unable to tear his gaze away from Jack as he finished taking his own pants off. To be stared at with such want, being seen like this and appreciated… it was the best feeling in the world.

As nervous as Jack was, he was also ready to take whatever he was given. This was Pitch’s show now. Jack wanted to be taken over.

He couldn’t help but look at Pitch’s erection. It was already standing high, precum beading at the tip. Pitch’s blush was visible at its head, dark red.

He was big, Jack noted. Granted, he was also very tall, but… Pitch seemed large even taking that into account. Jack looked back up, suddenly wondering what Pitch was specifically planning. Did he plan to go inside him? Jack was nervous about how that would feel.

“What sort of marks do you want to leave on me?” Jack asked.

“Oh, only the most lovely.” Pitch stroked under his chin. “I could draw elegant lines through your skin with my nails that will scar into patterns. I could leave bites that will only ever match my teeth. And I can suckle your skin until you bruise, leaving you covered in a palette of blues, purples, and reds… if you even bruise that way, that is.” Pitch ran his finger from Jack’s chin down his neck and all the way down his chest. “I would love to see how a frost spirit bruises. What colors would the wounds turn? Ohh I said I wouldn’t hurt you, but all this skin is just so tempting.”

“You’re a creep,” Jack said but his thighs were quivering at the thought of being marked. If he wasn’t fully hard before, he definitely was now.

“Maybe so.” Pitch’s nails dragged along Jack’s stomach and Jack breathed more quickly as it tickled. “You seem to like it, though.”

Jack nodded slightly and rested his arms around Pitch’s neck. The bare skin on skin contact was enough to make him sigh with pleasure. The other was so warm too, his body heat seeping into Jack’s skin, and Jack allowed some cold to flow back over.

Delicate trails of frost curled around Pitch’s neck and began spreading down his chest but the other didn’t even shiver. He just glanced at what was happening and then smiled, cupping Jack’s face and kissing him.

Jack had started sitting up earlier but now he fell back, wanting to feel all of Pitch’s weight against him. It felt good, warm and secure.

Pitch’s mouth moved down to Jack’s throat and he grazed the skin with his teeth. Jack shuddered and for a split second feared the other might tear his throat out, before suppressing that and telling himself he would be okay.

Pitch chuckled lightly and moved his hand between their bodies. Jack waited with bated breath, knowing what he was about to do, but it still didn’t prepare him for how it felt when Pitch’s long fingers wrapped around his length.

“Ohh…” His entire body shook and he raised a hand to cover his mouth, surprised at the loud moan that had left him.

“Put your hand down,” Pitch said. “I want to hear you.”

Jack held it there for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as Pitch lightly moved his hand up and down, palm sliding softly along Jack’s skin. The heat of Pitch’s hand was such a contrast to the coldness of his own body and it almost made him feel like he was on fire. It was overwhelming. He didn’t want it to stop.

“Come on, hand down,” Pitch repeated. “Stop muffling yourself.”

Jack slowly dropped his hand. “S-sorry, it’s just, aah… These noises I keep making are, nngh, embarrassing…”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s just you and I here. And I love those noises.” Pitch moved his hand a little faster and Jack’s hips bucked in response. “Tell me, how do you like to touch yourself?”

“Touch… myself?”

“Yes, you must have done it at least once.”

“Well, I don’t… don’t actually really feel an urge to do that most of the time, but sometimes when I’m bored, I do… jerk off.”

“I thought so.” Pitch watched him intently as he let go and Jack almost whined. Pitch took his hand and brought it over, making Jack grasp himself. He kept his own fingers around Jack’s hand. “Show me what you like to do.”

Jack’s heart felt like it was pounding somewhere in his throat. He felt shy under the other’s gaze but he took a slow breath and gained some confidence. Pitch wanted him. No need to be shy.

He held eye contact with Pitch as he began to move his hand. He stroked for a few moments and then paused, letting go.

“What is it?” Pitch asked.

“Nothing, just…” Jack dropped his arm to the covers and used it for support as he grasped himself with his left hand instead. “I use my left hand for this.”

“Ohh, I see. I didn’t think about how you might have a preference. Go on, then.” Pitch again held his hand, wanting to feel what he did.

Jack set an easy rhythm going up and down. It was simple but pleasant, and with the excitement from everything else they’ve done, it seemed to quickly push him toward the edge. He closed his eyes as he began to shake, moans escaping his throat at the hot pleasure building between his legs. He was using long strokes that went from base to tip, squeezing himself just a little more around the head before sliding back down.

Pitch quickly learned his rhythm and began matching it, hand moving smoothly with Jack’s, the extra points of pressure making him whimper.

“Ah, Pitch…” he groaned, twisting a little on the covers.

“Yes, little one?” Pitch replied in a tone that was almost tender.

“Feels, nngh… it feels so good…” Jack’s toes curled into the blanket.

“I’m glad it does. You look amazing under me. Such a pretty boy.”

Jack tilted his head back a bit as he gasped and Pitch nestled his face against his throat, teeth again teasing him. The edge of danger made Jack hotter.

“Close,” he said, the tension in his body taking on a familiar quality. “I’m, ah… getting close.”

“Good, good. Don’t hold it back.” Pitch shifted and Jack realized the other had moved to straddle his thigh, pressing his own need against Jack’s skin.

“H-hey, come here.” Jack moved his free hand to Pitch’s waist for a moment to try and tug him forward.

He didn’t actually have the strength to move him but Pitch listened to the request, moving forward and pressing his cock to Jack’s.

“That’s it… you feel so hot.” Jack adjusted his grip, wrapping his fingers around Pitch too. He was pleased when a sultry moan dripped from the other’s lips. “Let me please you.”

“It’s nice to see you taking charge a little,” Pitch whispered, leaning down close so their chests brushed together. He braced himself on an elbow and moved his other hand to wrap around himself and Jack, keeping their lengths together as they stroked in tandem.

“A-ah… couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Jack responded.

Pitch ran his thumb against Jack’s tip and found that his precum, though cool, was not freezing solid like his sweat was. He ran the liquid smoothly down the side of Jack’s shaft and heard a strained moan, the other twitching. He seemed to be right there on his edge.

 _So sensitive_ , Pitch thought playfully as he began kissing at Jack’s throat. The frost spirit has grown notably warmer and Pitch was suddenly filled with a desperate desire to know just how hot he could get him.

Jack’s moans were frequent and loud now, his hips rutting hard back against Pitch and his legs again going around him. The physical contact alone was ecstasy for them both.

Jack was losing himself to his lust, thinking of nothing but how much he wanted to finish and how much he wanted to get the other off too. He was growing tired but he kept up his pace, raising his free hand to Pitch’s neck and dragging him in for a kiss.

Pitch kissed him deeply, teeth snagging on his lower lip and making him bleed. Jack hardly registered the jolt of pain but he did taste the blood, as Pitch’s tongue swept across it and then eased into his mouth.

The rich metallic flavor was a pleasurable zing to his palate and he moaned. Pitch’s tongue brushed against his and he lapped back against it, beginning to arch with anticipation, knowing that any little thing could finish him off now…

Then Pitch probed against Jack’s split lip with his tongue and closed his lips around the wound, suckling on it.

“Ah!” The sting of pain mixed perfectly with the erotic pleasure and gave Jack the last push he needed. He finished with a cry, hips losing rhythm and hand squeezing desperately around his base as he came.

Several strings of cum painted Pitch’s stomach and fingers, and Pitch kept stroking him even as his own hand stopped, making him writhe as he was overstimulated.

“You looked so pretty when you came, Jack. Now look at me. I want to remember this.”

Jack opened his eyes and met Pitch’s. The other finished the moment he did, coming onto Jack’s front. It splattered nearly to his chest and Pitch let out a very satisfied moan at the rush of pleasure, hand dropping.

“Someone was excited,” Jack commented.

Pitch snorted, briefly examining his own messy fingers before saying, “So were you.”

“Yeah…” Jack was still catching his breath. His mind was a swirl of emotions without any particularly complex thoughts. He was mostly just relaxed. That orgasm had wiped away his stress and worries, at least for now. He didn’t really want to think. He just wanted to lay there.

Pitch got up and stepped away. Jack didn’t register him leaving until he was already back and getting on the bed, making it bounce slightly.

Then a cloth landed on Jack’s face.

He raised a hand and tugged it off, looking it over. Solid black with gold trim. It was fairly soft. “What’s this for?” he asked.

Pitch gave him an exasperated look. “For cleaning yourself, you peasant.”

“You don’t have to be rude, I just didn’t know, I usually find a river or something to clean with! Or you know, just use a sink.”

“If you really want to get up and find a sink, be my guest. Or you can use the handkerchief.”

Jack didn’t really feel like going anywhere. So he used the cloth, cleaning his hand off and then mopping at the mess on his front.

“So how was that for a first time?” Pitch asked smugly. The question was largely unnecessary; he could see Jack’s satisfaction. But he wanted to hear the other’s opinion.

Jack’s blush had begun to fade but now it returned as he reflected, pale purple spreading across his face. “Oh. Uh, good. It was very good, though… does that even count as sex? I mean, there was no, you know… penetration.”

“Penetration isn’t necessary for sex. We gave each other handjobs, that absolutely counts as sex.”

“Right. Cool, just wondering.” Jack got everything he could wiped off and folded the cloth, not sure what to do with it.

Pitch finished cleaning too and took the cloth, then just threw both aside to land on the floor.

“I’ll clean those later,” he said.

“Okay, do whatever, it’s your place.”

Pitch slid an arm around him and then laid down, bringing him down to lay in front of him.

Part of Jack wanted to pull away. He wanted intimacy but at the same time, it was still so rare for him to touch someone that it made him nervous when he did. Like he was going to mess it up.

Pitch gave him a small smile, brushing his fingers through his hair. “I doubt even you could mess this up. All we’re doing now is laying together in bed. Just relax and enjoy it.”

Jack chewed on his lip, still sometimes thrown off by how accurate Pitch’s senses were when it came to fear. Then one of his teeth grazed across the spot where he had been bitten and he winced.

“Is it too warm for you?” Pitch asked. “I could open a window. It won’t exactly let a breeze in, there aren’t any down here, but the hot air can escape, at least.” He ran a hand along Jack’s side, chuckling. “Things really heated up in here.”

“Yeah.” That reminder made what happened suddenly very real. Jack had fallen into a lustful daze before but now his head was clearing and he could really think through what the two of them did. “Fuck. Oh fuck, we really did sleep together. Me and you.” He let out a giggle that was a little too high-pitched due to nerves. “We did that.”

“That we did. But you liked it, yes?”

“I did. I really did, when you took over and I knew what you wanted, I just sorta went along with it, you were challenging me and I also wanted to be touched, but now…” Jack sighed. “I don’t know, it feels weird.”

“First time jitters. It’ll pass. Maybe it would do you good to sleep on it.”

“Maybe.” Jack began to move to get up and Pitch stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

Jack raised a brow at him. “Uh, to get dressed? And leave to find somewhere to sleep?”

Pitch groaned and rubbed his face, pulling Jack back down next to him. “I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out, but fine. I want you to sleep here with me.”

“Here? In your bed?”

“Yes, there’s more than enough room for us both.”

“But this is… I mean, it’s so…” The idea of anyone, let alone Pitch, wanting Jack to stay in their bed with them was flustering him. If it was just a one night stand, he could be dressing and taking off. But being invited to sleep here… it made it seem much more intimate. More emotional.

“If you don’t want to, you can go. But I can tell you’re tired and think it would be better for you to rest here.” Pitch moved down toward the pillows, getting under the covers and then holding them up. It looked so inviting. It was strange how tired he was despite having just gotten up a bit ago… “The offer is open.”

“And you won’t… try to kill me or anything while I’m asleep?” Jack asked.

“Hah, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it while you were distracted by that very attractive orgasm you were having.”

Jack snorted. “Right. Ugh, I’m probably making a mistake here, but…” He gathered up his confidence and crawled across the bed, going to slip under the covers next to the other. Pitch’s bare body radiated heat that the blanket then trapped, quickly making Jack feel like he was laying in direct sunlight.

Yet it was comfortable. For now, at least. Jack turned about a few times trying to find how he wanted to lay; a bed was much different from a tree branch. He could stretch out his arms and legs in all sorts of directions.

He found a good position on his side and relaxed, curling his arms against his chest and closing his eyes. “I better not wake up dead,” he warned Pitch, who laughed.

“Don’t worry, Jack.” Pitch shifted too and Jack was surprised when the other stretched out along his back, an arm draping over his waist. Pitch’s face nestled into the back of Jack’s neck and he pressed a kiss there. It was so soothing that Jack quickly dozed off.

Pitch continued, “You’re so much more fun alive. You can’t scream if you’re dead, after all.”

That made apprehension shoot up Jack’s spine and he tensed a little. But Pitch kept laying there passively and Jack settled again, realizing he was just trying to milk a little more fear out of him. He felt for the arm that was draped over him and ran his fingers down it. Pitch’s skin felt nice. Even here it was as soft as his hand.

Jack explored down, slipping his fingers daintily over Pitch’s wrist and playfully sending a bit of frost over the inside of it.

Pitch didn’t even shiver. “Nice try, Frost, but cold doesn’t bother me.”

“I was wondering about that when we talked in Antarctica. It was far into the negatives, wind whipping, and you didn’t seem to care. I wasn’t sure if you were toughing it out or if it just didn’t hurt.”

“Well, I will admit _that_ cold tested my tolerance. But regular ice? Why I could almost call it pleasant.”

“Hm. We really are a lot alike.” Jack moved his hand further and found himself linking fingers with Pitch, holding his hand. His chest ached. This felt really nice but it also reminded him of how long he was alone. He wasn’t able to hold anyone’s hand for centuries and now he suddenly could. It was such a simple yet powerful feeling.

He began trembling and Pitch muttered, “Goodness, it’s horrible how touch-starved you are. Though I suppose that goes for both of us. But still, simply holding my hand is enough to get you emotional. You poor, lonely thing.”

Pitch’s tone seemed somewhere between sympathetic and condescending. Jack sighed and said, “I’m not lonely anymore. There are people who see me now. And I have the Guardians.”

“Yes but you still don’t quite feel the right connection with them, do you? Sure, you appreciate them. But do they, even now, give you the attention you really want?”

Jack thought about how busy they all were. So busy that they usually couldn’t spare more than a few minutes at a time to talk to him. Of course they would take longer if he insisted. But he could always tell they were being drawn back toward their work. He didn’t hold any ill will toward them. Even he felt the calling to play with the weather and have fun when he tried to take breaks.

But when he was off soaring alone through the air, just him and the wind, sometimes… he did wish someone was there with him.

He shifted a little, leaning back more into Pitch’s body. “I do… want to spend more time with them. But they all have important jobs. And so do I. So if I only see them sometimes… it’s okay.”

“And when you’re not seeing them, despite knowing where they all are and knowing you could see them, you become lonely again. And it still hurts, doesn’t it?”

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to drift off again. “And so what if it does? It would be selfish for me to constantly expect to have someone’s company. I’m fine with how things are. Really.”

“I won’t try to tell you how you should feel, then,” Pitch said lightly. He squeezed Jack’s fingers. “But if you do desire company that won’t be too busy for you, there’s always me.”

“Pft, yeah, you,” Jack scoffed. “The bad guy.”

“That’s right,” Pitch replied, sounding amused. “The bad guy. We have our game, remember? Spend time with me, let me enjoy your fear, and I won’t bother the children. The Guardians won’t need to worry about me. I’ll essentially be good if you play along.”

That was a pleasing thought. Jack wanted Pitch to be good, even if their agreement was heavily tilted in Pitch’s favor. It was enjoyable so far, though. He had a feeling Pitch had even more he wanted them to do together. And Jack wanted to see what he had in mind. This could be a thrilling arrangement.

Especially if Jack could just come here every time he felt alone…

“Okay,” he said. “I hope I don’t regret this. But yeah, if I need to see someone… I’ll come to you, and we can play your game, and do whatever else you want to do.”

“Delightful. Now rest, Jack. I’ll see you when you wake up.”

“Mm.” Jack held Pitch’s hand close as he drifted off to sleep. It was strange not hearing wind or animal calls as he fell asleep, but well… Pitch’s heartbeat was just as good.


	3. Pleasant Afternoon

Jack woke up feeling confused. Everything was way too quiet and he was so _warm_. And something was draped on him, surrounding him.

He pushed up on an arm and then remembered he was in Pitch’s bed. That made his heart skip a beat. Pitch’s bed! It was even more astounding now that he was wide awake. They had sex!

And it was… a pretty good time. A very different sort of fun but an addicting one. The whole thing had been a rush and while Jack had been a little frightened, which was certainly what Pitch wanted, he had mostly been happy.

Jack felt his lip. It had healed from being bitten but was tender. He felt along his neck where he had been kissed, glad that Pitch hadn’t bitten down there any more than once. Though he could tell the other had really wanted to.

Jack wondered if that one bite wound was bruised, though. It stung if he pressed on it, so maybe it was.

He messed with his hair for a few moments, flipping it out of his face and then looking around. It was dark but he could tell he was alone.

Also his skin was sticky with sweat. Wait… liquid sweat? Why hadn’t it frozen?

He tossed the covers off himself and realized just how hot it had been under there. It almost made him light-headed. He climbed out of bed and sighed with relief as cool air wrapped around him. The sweat froze and he swiped it off, then began looking for Pitch.

He was nowhere in the room. Jack frowned as he bent down for his pants and began tugging them on. Did Pitch go off to absorb fears from other people anyway?

Jack still felt a little too warm for his hoodie but he picked it up as he walked over to get his staff, preparing to leave out one of the windows. Then he caught the smell of cooking food and paused.

He turned his head in the direction of the staircase. The smell was coming from that way.

Was Pitch cooking?

He must be. There was no one else down here. Jack tugged his hoodie on and carried his staff as he went to the stairs and hopped onto the rail, sliding down. A few spirals and then he was jumping off at the bottom, landing lightly.

This section of the tower seemed to only have a living room, but the stairs went down another flight. He took them down and emerged into a dining room with a small but elegantly set table. There was an open doorway to a kitchen across from him.

The distinct aroma of bacon and eggs reached him and his stomach rumbled on reflex. He didn’t even need food to live anymore, but he still liked eating and that smelled amazing. He walked in and saw Pitch at the stove, back to the door. The other had pulled on pants but was otherwise bare, and Jack looked him up and down, admiring the clear muscle tone of his back.

“Jack,” Pitch said without turning around. Jack tensed but Pitch simply continued, “About time you got up.”

“I didn’t know you were awake, I just now woke up,” Jack replied. He walked further into the room, checking out the kitchen. The appliances and counters mostly seemed old-fashioned, though there was a modern refrigerator and microwave.

Also a Keurig, which was mildly amusing to see surrounded by the rustic decor.

“I figured you would be a light sleeper.”

“Usually I am. I guess I was just really comfortable earlier. Or tired.”

“You certainly looked tired.” Pitch flipped the bacon he was cooking. “Do you like eggs and bacon?”

“Sure, I like both. But you do know it's not actually breakfast time, right? Unless I slept all the way through the rest of the day and night and now it's morning again-”

“It's not and you didn't. It's shortly after noon. I just happen to want breakfast food at the moment. Now how do you prefer your eggs?”

Jack hadn’t expected this much hospitality. But he wasn’t complaining; it was nice being offered breakfast like this. Well, sorta breakfast. Breakfast for lunch. How fun! “Uh… scrambled is fine.”

Pitch scooped what looked to be two fried eggs out of the pan and tossed them onto a plate, then retrieved two fresh ones from a carton and cracked them open into a bowl, mixing them up.

“So… cooking breakfast/lunch for me? That’s really nice of you,” Jack commented as he leaned against the nearby island, watching. His eyes kept going to the sizzling bacon, mouth watering.

“I’m making it for myself anyway, might as well share.” Pitch poured the eggs onto the pan and then turned to Jack, reaching out to play with some of his hair. “Besides, I greatly enjoyed earlier this morning and would like to spend a little more time with you this afternoon.”

Jack leaned into the other’s hand, which moved down along his cheek. It was such a tender caress that he almost cried. He wished he could have this all the time. “I never expected you to be this affectionate,” he admitted.

Pitch paused, eyes growing solemn. Then he dropped his hand and turned his attention back to the stove, flipping the eggs and making sure they were cooking evenly. “I don’t show this sort of affection to most people. With you, however, it seems to come naturally. I like you.”

“I’d hope so considering you had sex with me.”

“Many would see your sarcasm as irritating but I admire your wit. You’re so playful and charming, which makes you fun to be around. You’re compassionate. You’ve taken the time to talk to me and understand why I do what I do. And you’re very brave.”

“Brave? I’m scared of all kinds of things. Which I usually wouldn’t just admit like that, but well, no point pretending I’m fearless when you can read fears, huh?”

Pitch snorted and scrambled up the eggs before putting them on a plate. “I didn’t say you’re fearless. I said you’re brave. There’s an important distinction. The fearless run straight into danger even when it is unwise, taking unnecessary risks, so overconfident in their abilities that they often don’t know their limits. And thus, they often die. But those who are brave, well. They are very much afraid, but they choose to conquer their own fear in order to do what is necessary. I find it more admirable to be afraid yet muster the strength to carry on despite that, than to not even feel fear in the first place.”

“Huh. Good point.”

“Despite being on opposing sides, I’ve become quite taken with you,” Pitch said casually as he piled some bacon onto his plate and stepped aside, gesturing for Jack to help himself. “I hope that we grow closer over time.”

Part of Jack muttered that he shouldn’t trust this fast. Pitch was cunning and could just be luring him into a false sense of security so he could hurt him later. But Jack, much like North, always tried to find the good in people. As he searched Pitch’s face, he saw no hint of deceit. He looked wistful, almost.

Jack tossed the rest of the bacon onto his own plate and grabbed a fork to try the eggs. It tasted like they had been cooked in leftover bacon grease. It was very tasty. “Me too,” he said, receiving a pleased smile.

They hung out in the kitchen as they ate, making small talk. Jack planned to go down to the southern hemisphere for the next few days to spread winter cheer. There were kids who needed snow days and regions that have been just a little too warm despite the time of year. Jack was going to send in much-needed cold fronts.

“Sounds fun. I may visit the southern hemisphere later to see your work. I always love seeing what you do with your winters.”

Jack’s chest glowed. He had plenty of admirers but it always made him happy to hear that his work was appreciated.

“Do you want coffee or anything?” Pitch suddenly asked, gesturing over toward the Keurig. “Tea, hot chocolate, I even have apple cider.”

“Where do you get all that? I doubt you have much human money-”

“I take it of course. Skimming one or two things from a store’s inventory never hurt anyone.”

Jack sighed but felt like he’d be a hypocrite if he complained about that. He’s certainly caused his fair share of trouble involving human property. Pitch’s petty shoplifting was nothing in comparison. “Ah. I suppose it’d be hard for you to buy stuff properly, considering that, you know.” He cleared his throat. “No one can see you.”

“Right,” Pitch said dryly. “So, feel free to make whatever you like. There’s mostly coffee sitting around the Keurig and if you want to see the rest, just open that drawer under it.”

“Okay.” Jack went to look, still working on his plate while he did. There were many different flavors of coffee and tea available. There was only one brand each of the hot chocolate and apple cider, but they looked like good ones.

As he browsed, Pitch said, “And I don’t always steal from stores. I have also been known to just take directly from the manufacturing plants themselves, where they can’t even begin to keep track of the thousands or even millions of products they’re making. No harm done.”

“That’s pretty clever, actually. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Pitch laughed.

Jack settled on the hot chocolate and turned on the appliance, waiting for it to get ready. While he did, Pitch slid him a mug and showed him which option to use to fill the mug up the most without actually overflowing it.

“Are you gonna want any of this?” Jack asked, pointing to the open drawer.

“I’m going to make one of the coffees that’s already out.”

“Oh, okay.”

They finished their breakfast while making their respective drinks. Jack put his plate and fork in the sink, which was already full of soapy water, and started to wash them. Only for Pitch to use his hip to nudge him aside and take over, dropping his own dishes in too.

“I can wash those, it’s fine,” Jack said.

“I don’t need you freezing my sink.”

“You act as if I don’t have control over my powers,” Jack said with a scowl. He plunged a hand wrist-deep into the water and stood there triumphantly with his other hand on his hip. “See? Water’s fine.”

Pitch rolled his eyes and kept scrubbing. Then he yanked both hands back and lunged toward Jack. “Boo!”

Jack had been expecting that but the suddenness of the movement along with the way Pitch’s lips pulled back into a snarl made him jump anyway, and the entire surface of the water turned to ice in a second.

“Not very good control,” Pitch said, expression calm again. He tapped where the water was frozen around Jack’s wrist, and then grabbed Jack’s arm and forced it up. The layer of ice went up with it and Jack stepped back to stare at it, waving it around.

“Yeah, well.” Jack huffed. “The rest of the water is there.”

“And is now very cold,” Pitch said as he finished washing everything and moved the dishes over to the other side of the sink.

Jack waved his arm up and down a few times and then cracked the ice down onto the counter. It shattered and fell away from his wrist.

“There we go,” he said, flexing his fingers.

“Such a little hellion,” Pitch sighed as he rinsed the dishes. “Exactly why I want to keep you around, there’s never a dull moment with you.”

“Aw, such a softie.”

Pitch grumbled something indistinct at that but it sounded like an insult. Jack sipped on his hot chocolate while using his free hand to lift the shattered ice, letting it spin in gentle spirals before tossing it all into the water. He figured Pitch wouldn’t appreciate it melting all over the counter.

Pitch put the dishes aside in a rack to dry and then went to the Keurig to get his coffee, picking it up and taking a sip without adding anything to it.

“I see you like your coffee the way you like your heart,” Jack observed.

“Hm?” Pitch asked.

“Black,” Jack clarified.

Pitch let out a snort of laughter at that and his sinuses immediately stung as coffee came out of his nose. He briefly choked and then doubled over as he clutched his nose in shock, which made Jack break into uncontrollable laughter.

“Did that seriously make coffee come out of your nose?” Jack wheezed. “It wasn’t even that original!”

Pitch fumbled to get a washrag and then pressed it to his face, grimacing as he wiped the coffee away. He set his mug down with a deliberately annoyed thunk as he did.

“Hey, you’re not gonna die, right?” Jack asked. “Death from coffee inhalation? Sounds like it’d make a pretty funny tombstone, actually.”

Pitch sighed as he lowered the rag, sniffing a few times and shaking his head. “I think I’ll live.”

“Oh good, you had me really worried there for a second.” Jack took a long drink from his own mug. He had already cooled it down to a bearable temperature.

“Yes, you seem very concerned about my near death experience,” Pitch teased.

“I’m literally traumatized. The grin is my way of coping.”

Pitch retrieved his cup. “The joke may not be original but it was new to me. And it was delightful, thank you.”

“No problem.”

Pitch took a careful drink, eyes on Jack just in case he tried to make him laugh again.

Jack couldn’t help but wince imagining how it must taste. “Seriously though, how can you drink black coffee? No wonder you’re so bitter if that’s what runs through your veins.”

“I happen to like the flavor, Jack. Some people have different tastes from you. I know that may be a hard concept to grasp but I assure you it’s true.”

“Sounds fake but okay.”

Pitch leaned back against the counter. “Have you even tried it?”

“Nope. I can tell I’ll hate it from the smell.”

“Is that so? Well, your loss.”

They spent a few minutes more in the kitchen while finishing their drinks. Jack was beginning to get antsy. He’s been underground for too long. He needed fresh air. Needed to feel a breeze on his face.

...Needed to get out of here before he started imagining more comfortable, domestic scenarios between him and Pitch…

“This really has been a blast but I should get going,” he said once his mug was empty, putting it in the sink. “I really do need to go get those cold fronts started, it takes a while getting the air pressure just right and then moving the clouds to make sure people get snow and-”

“You don’t need to explain,” Pitch said softly. “Just go. I’ll be here when you return.”

“So you do want me to come back?”

“Of course. We have our game.”

“Right…”

“And I want to see you again.” Pitch finished the last dregs of his coffee and went over to Jack, lifting his chin with a finger and smirking at him. “Don’t make me wait too long, my little one.”

For some reason that title just got Jack’s heart racing. He thought back to their morning together and blushed. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come back.”

“Good. Run along now.” Pitch backed away from him.

Not knowing what else to say, Jack checked that he had his staff and looked over his clothes before heading out at a brisk pace. He hated how flustered the other made him. He could hear Pitch snickering as he left and decided that at least he had gotten some small revenge with the coffee thing. Pitch’s pain tolerance was high but that had to hurt.

He made his way to the tunnel that led out and called a wind down, using it to quickly lift himself back out. He let out a breath of relief as soon as he emerged into the air outside. Finally, wide open spaces, he could just fly as far and as fast as he wanted.

Still, he gave that tunnel a longing look before turning his gaze south, catching a wind to soar that way. He already wanted to go back down to be with Pitch but he knew it would be unhealthy for him to become too dependent on him. Jack needed to live his own life too.

So he turned his attention to his plans for the next few days and just flew, closing his eyes and enjoying the coolness of the breezes that surrounded him.


	4. Snowballs and Fun Times

The food and hot chocolate had been quite invigorating. Jack moved fast from place to place as he worked, kicking up the perfect weather systems to cause whatever precipitation he wanted. Some places got snow. Some got hail. A few even got a steady freezing rain that encased everything in glimmering ice.

A few days into his trip, he made sure a ski resort in New Zealand had plenty of snow for its slopes and floated overhead as he watched people ski. It looked like a lot of fun. He drifted to sit on an empty ski lift as it went up the mountain, casually watching the people soar by underneath him. When the lift reached the top, he hopped off and slid on his own feet across the packed snow, before walking to where skiers were lining up to take on the slope. He watched them jump off with varying levels of confidence and lingered to watch a young girl who seemed hesitant to go.

A man nearby, likely her father, assured her that it would be fine. She’s gotten through all the slopes before this, this one was just like the others, it was just a little higher.

“Yeah, go on, you can do it,” Jack encouraged.

The girl cast him an unsure glance and then did a double-take at him, realizing he wasn’t a skier.

“Ssh,” Jack said, raising a finger to his lips. He could tell the father couldn’t see him. “Just go ahead and look forward. You’ve got this. It’ll be fun.”

She shuffled forward a little more on her skis but didn’t go down quite yet, planting her poles hard to make sure she didn’t slip.

“Do you want me to wait for you at the bottom?” the girl’s dad asked. “I’ll probably outrun you anyway.”

“You can go,” she replied. “I’ll catch up.”

The dad nodded and went. Jack knelt next to the girl. “You scared?” he asked.

“No, just… nervous,” she replied.

“Yeah, it’s a big slope. But I think you’ve got this. It looks fun. And I know a thing or two about fun.”

She giggled and then looked at him with big brown eyes. She kinda reminded him of his little sister. “You’re Jack Frost, right?”

“Yeah.” He grinned at being recognized. “I actually just made it snow here so you have plenty to ski on.”

“Cool!”

“Yeah! So why don’t you go ahead and show me what you can do? I’ll fly down with you.”

At that, she nodded and finally went, stepping off and going down the slope. She picked up speed fast and though she was nervous, Jack could tell she had a good sense of balance. He rode the wind down, staying right next to her and smiling every time she looked at him. Then he did a spin.

She laughed and weaved from side to side. Then she leaned forward a bit and sped up, trying to outrace him. He sped up too. It took a while to get down the slope but eventually it started to level out and they could see where the girl’s father was waiting for her.

“First one to reach that post right there wins,” the girl said.

“Deal!”

They were right next to each other as they got close to the post but Jack slowed at the last second, letting her pull ahead. She skidded past the post and then stopped herself, hair briefly whipping past her face from the momentum, and she brushed it back.

“Ah darn, you won,” Jack said, landing next to her and leaning on his staff as he pretended to be breathing hard.

She giggled and began walking to meet her dad.

“I gotta go but it was fun, keep practicing and you’ll be a great skier,” Jack said.

She nodded and waved to him before turning away.

“Who were you waving to?” the dad asked.

“Jack Frost,” she chirped. “He raced me down the hill.”

“Haha, alright. Come on, you wanna go back up this mountain?”

“Yeah!”

Jack watched her go and then jumped back into the air. He was glad to have given her that confidence and hopefully she’ll have no problem taking on that slope again.

He flew over an area that had gotten freezing rain and decided to land again, shouldering his staff as he walked through a park and admired things. There was hardly anyone out. Which wasn’t surprising; the sidewalks were so slick that no one was really walking on them unless necessary.

He lingered in front of a playground for a bit, checking out how everything looked covered in ice. He was also mildly tempted to go down one of the slides, but decided against it. He moved along, passing by trees whose limbs sagged down from the weight of the ice. Yep, he really did good today.

He was kneeling down playing with the branches of a frozen bush when a shadow fell over him.

“This is all really quite impressive.”

Jack jumped up and spun around to see Pitch looming over him. “Pitch! What, uh. What are you doing here?”

“What, am I not allowed to travel too?” Pitch smirked and then looked around, gesturing grandly. “Ah, New Zealand. Lovely country. And you’ve made it even lovelier.”

Jack looked back down at the bush, blushing. “Just doing my job.”

“You are incredible at your job. Everywhere I look, it’s a winter wonderland. Why, I almost want to go ice skating on that pond over there.”

Jack would agree but that was the one winter activity that he wasn’t fond of. He liked watching other people skate but ever since he got his human memories back, stepping onto frozen ponds has given him an unsettling feeling.

He felt a little silly about it sometimes. If the ice was thick enough, it wouldn’t break. He was now light on his feet and quick. And he couldn’t exactly drown anymore. But the fear persisted anyway.

“Fears aren’t always reasonable.” Pitch said. “Odds are, you’re in no danger of drowning again. But you did drown once. Your mind remembers the trauma of it. So ever since it has told you to stay away from the water. Stay away from that situation that hurt you before. I wouldn’t call that silly.”

“Yeah, I guess. It sucks, though. I used to like ice skating.”

“Maybe one day you’ll like it again. If not, that’s fine too. There are plenty of other winter activities.” Pitch stepped out across the snow. His steps left no imprints, nor did Jack’s as he followed him.

They walked around the park, Pitch mostly quiet, apparently just admiring everything. Jack didn’t really talk either, but he was content to just have someone with him.

“I know you can travel anywhere, but why come to the same place I’m at?” Jack eventually asked. “Did you miss me?”

Pitch didn’t miss a beat. “Yes.”

“Oh?” Jack stared at him.

“I quickly grew lonely without your presence. After having you for that lovely morning and afternoon, it was even harder to go back to being alone. Of course I reminded myself that you would return, which was comforting. But after a few days of entertaining myself, I decided to come see what you’ve gotten done down in this part of the world. And it is quite beautiful.”

“Thanks. I love working with ice. Though you should see how much fun the skiers are having.”

“I saw. It’s a very good day for them.” Pitch looked up at the sky. It was midday but the sky was overcast. “Beautiful yet dreary. Exactly how I like my winters.”

“Yeah, who needs all that sunlight?”

“The Sun is nice, sometimes. Especially when it’s low and casts long, ominous shadows, which I can have a lot of fun with.” Pitch leaned down to scoop up some snow, playing with it.

“Makes sense that you’d like when it casts shadows, yeah. Considering your specialty and all.” They had reached another sidewalk and Jack paused to examine a water fountain, tapping the button on the side of it. No water came out. There wasn’t even an attempt. The entire water line was frozen solid.

He began walking again. And then felt a snowball slam into his head. It was dense and felt like it had ice packed into it. He rounded on Pitch, who had tucked his arms behind his back and was whistling.

“Really?” Jack asked.

“Really, what?” Pitch replied innocently.

“Are you challenging me, the all time champion of snowball fights, to a snowball fight?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, why would I ever assault you?”

Jack leaned down, broke the layer of ice over everything, and then scooped snow from underneath it so he could pack a proper snowball.

Which he then used to pelt Pitch in the face.

“That’s how you make a snowball,” he said smugly.

Pitch wiped the snow off and huffed. Then he got down and started making another. In his haste, he didn’t pack the snow quite enough and when he threw it, this one fell apart in the air and Jack got a face full of loose snow instead.

“Ooh, almost,” Jack teased as he made a second. He turned away from Pitch to hide what he was doing as he breathed magic across it, infusing it with joy. Then he wound up and threw it, again getting Pitch right in the face.

“Seriously, always with the eyes,” Pitch complained, shaking his head. Then magic twinkled in front of his eyes and his irises seemed to grow brighter. His entire expression softened, shoulders dropping a little. “Oh, wow.”

“What?” Jack asked, wanting to know what he was experiencing.

“I’m suddenly happy. Very happy, it came on so fast like a spell, is this…” Pitch gestured toward his face. “Your magic?”

“Maybe.” Jack grinned, leaning on his staff as he playfully wiggled his hips. “I felt you could use a little winter cheer.”

Pitch smiled. Then finally made a good snowball and hit Jack with it. Jack laughed and waved a hand over the ground, snow easily flying into his hand and shaping itself perfectly so he could hit Pitch back.

The other broke into laughter so warm and genuine that Jack’s heart glowed. They began chasing each other through the park, throwing snowballs and jumping around as they dodged each other. Jack was tireless but he could tell the other was getting a bit worn out. Even so, Pitch kept moving fast, and when Jack knelt to scoop together a larger than usual snowball, Pitch ran up to him and dumped an entire armful of snow onto his head.

“Haha, hey!” Jack got up and tackled Pitch, knocking both of them to the ground. While pinning him, he hit him with the large snowball.

Pitch turned his head aside and got most of it on his temple and in his hair instead. Then he looked back up, chuckling. His cheeks were flushed and snow streaked his dark hair, ice particles glittering.

Jack found himself admiring him. His dark clothes and hair stood out vividly against the white backdrop of snow yet the two of them seemed to go together perfectly. Cold and dark.

“What are you thinking about, Frost?” Pitch questioned. He didn’t push Jack off like Jack was expecting, instead just seeming to relax comfortably against the snow and resting a hand on Jack’s hip.

“Just what you told me before,” Jack said. “In Antarctica. What goes together better than cold and dark?”

“Hm… fire and light?” Pitch suggested.

Jack laughed. “Yeah, a lot of people would probably say that.”

“A lot would. But not us.” Pitch shifted his hand, slipping it under Jack’s hoodie so he could splay his fingers across his skin. “I like your cold.”

“And I like your darkness,” Jack admitted. “After all, dark isn’t evil. I think the dark is comforting. It’s a time for rest. We can’t have light all the time.”

“Exactly. And what better way to appreciate warmth… than stepping into it after time in the cold?” Pitch’s fingers trailed in small circles and Jack began to feel warm. “We’re necessary forces of nature, you and I. And I think we could accomplish so much more together than we could apart.”

“What exactly would you want us to do together?” Jack asked.

“Winter is our season. Both of ours. You’re the spirit of snow and winter fun. And I am the spirit of darkness, of days falling short while the nights grow longer. You help people see the joy in winter? I remind them of the dangers. How hypothermia can kill them. How ice could cause them to fall or get into car crashes.” Pitch’s other hand went to grip Jack’s hip, stroking up and down. “Winter is a time of fear and fun alike. You can’t have one without the other. There’s no harm in me reminding people they have things to fear, right?”

“No, I wouldn’t say there’s harm… as long as you don’t remind them so often it makes them anxious. Their fears can keep them safe while they play.”

“Yes! And well, if some of their nightmares become more specific to winter…”

“Pitch.”

“What?” Pitch laughed. “I need to have some fun too!”

“It would be nice to work with you,” Jack said. “I’m used to doing all this alone, but having a friend along would make it more bearable.”

“You… consider me a friend?”

“Well… sure. Yeah, if we’re gonna be spending more time together anyway because of our game, we might as well be friends.”

Pitch beamed at him. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

“You’re just happy because I hit you with a magic snowball.”

“That’s partly to blame. Goodness, that snowball made me feel like I just got all warm and giddy off a bottle of wine. But I really am happy to have your friendship.” He pulled a hand from under Jack’s hoodie and reached up to his shoulder. “Come here.”

“Hm? What?” Jack leaned down, then grunted when Pitch pushed his hips back to make him slide backward. Then Jack’s chest was hitting the other’s and their faces were together, Pitch kissing him.

Spirals of pleasurable sensation went down his back and he sighed, giving in to it. This seemed so much different out here in the snow compared to Pitch’s bed. It wasn’t as heated and desperate now but it felt good, and though there was no one around, Jack felt a little thrill at them being outside where someone _could_ see this.

Pitch’s tongue went to his lips and then eased them apart, deepening the kiss. Jack shuddered, thoughts going to their night together, and as Pitch ran a hand over the curve of his ass, he felt himself grow hard.

He quickly grew embarrassed, leaning back from Pitch’s mouth and glancing around the area.

“We’re alone,” Pitch assured him.

“But we’re still in public, someone could just… just walk up.”

“And what are the odds that it’d be someone who can see you?”

“Low, but if it’s a kid, I definitely don’t want them seeing this.”

“They wouldn’t be able to see me at all,” Pitch muttered. “But ohh, very well, we can go somewhere more private.” He sat up, holding Jack on his lap and murmuring into his ear, “I want to play another round of our game.”

Jack couldn’t stop himself from trembling with excitement. He nodded, picking his staff up from where it had fallen onto the ground when Pitch kissed him. Once he had hold of it, Pitch wrapped both arms around his waist and held him close while shadows sprung up and surrounded them, whisking them away.


	5. Round Two

There was a brief silence and darkness and then they arrived in Pitch’s bedroom. They got to their feet and Jack looked around in appreciation. “That’s some really fast travel.”

“Yes, it’s quite handy.”

“If you start coming along with me on my trips, how do you plan to fly with me?” Jack asked. “I don’t think I’d be able to carry you the whole time.”

“I’ll create a Nightmare. I won’t make one out of black sand, no… the Sandman has reclaimed all of his wretched sand by now. But I can craft whatever I like out of living shadows. It will take a good bit of energy to create something permanent but I’ll be able to handle it. And once I have my steed, I can fly it right alongside you.”

“Great. Because I do want you to be able to travel with me, instead of just, you know… having to go two different ways and meeting up later.”

“I understand. I’m looking forward to our travels.” Pitch went to the bed and smoothed out the covers while Jack laid his staff on a desk. He didn’t fully need it for his powers and he didn’t really feel threatened around Pitch anyway.

“So, what do you have planned for me this time?” Jack asked, turning to the other.

Pitch smirked at him. “That depends on what you think you’ll be able to handle.”

“Well… I don’t know, you’re the only person I’ve ever had sex with, so…”

Pitch crossed the room to a chest and began unlocking it. “How’s your pain tolerance?” he asked conversationally.

“Pain tolerance?” Jack wasn’t sure he liked where this was going.

Pitch got the chest open and started rummaging through it. “Yes, that’s what I said, pain tolerance. How much pain can you withstand?”

“That’s not something I’ve ever really tested, I try to avoid pain.”

“Most people do but remember our discussion about people seeking out fear for the fun of it? Well, there are those who also like to test the physical limits of their bodies. They get a thrill from pain and when that pain is inflicted in a certain way, under certain circumstances, well… it can be quite satisfying.” Pitch glanced at Jack with a hooded expression. “Arousing, if you will.”

“ _Oh_.” Jack has heard about that but never tried it himself. It was just one of the many things he’s overheard while eavesdropping on people. He often left when conversations got too sexual but he has… lingered, on more than one occasion. Purely out of curiosity and he did his best to withhold judgment. But some of the kinks he’s learned about have stuck with him… “Are you talking about masochism?”

“That’s it! Masochists are those who receive pleasure from pain. While sadists are those who derive pleasure from others being in pain. For some people, they overlap. I, for example, enjoy being the one to inflict pain and making my partner squirm, but… I also like the feel of fingernails clawing into my back, my partner’s teeth in my throat. Let’s just say I like it rough and would like to see how rough I can get with you before it’s too much.”

Jack swallowed, growing nervous. “I can handle a good bit of pain I guess, but it depends on what exactly is happening… and where. Like, hey, you can smack me in the chest but if you smacked me in the face with the same force, well. That’d hurt a lot more.”

“Of course. Which is why I’d like to slowly explore your body and test your limits. Mm, it’s tempting to make you wear a blindfold too, but I want to be able to see your eyes. Ah, here we are, this should do for now.” Pitch took a short rod with a small loop of leather on the end out of the chest. He gave it a few swings, then patted the leather against his palm. “I’d like to use my riding crop on you, if that’s acceptable.”

“Riding crop?” Jack’s eyes widened. “Don’t people use those on _horses_?”

“Typically, yes. But this is for kink purposes.” Pitch extended an arm, letting his sleeve fall back and then slapping the crop across the inside of his arm. Jack winced at the noise but Pitch didn’t even flinch. “See? It mostly just stings. And in the heat of the moment, that little sting of pain can be quite invigorating. It causes a spike in your adrenaline. Hold out your arm, I’ll show you.”

“I don’t know…”

“You don’t even need to roll up your sleeve. I’ll go ahead and give you a little taste now, and if you don’t think you’ll like it, we don’t need to use this. I can find something else for us to use, or we can just wait to try toys altogether.”

Jack was hesitant but he nodded, moving closer and holding out his arm for the other. Pitch brought the crop down onto it and the fabric of his sleeve absorbed most of the blow, though there was still a light sting that soon faded into a warm ache. “Huh. I guess that feels okay.”

“It’s more intense when it’s on your skin, though. Turn your palm up.”

Jack did so and he was struck across it. This time the sting made his shoulders tense and he grunted in the back of his throat, fingers twitching. He dropped his arm and waved his hand a bit as he waited for the stinging to stop. “Okay, wow, that does hurt more.”

“But it’s not unbearable, right?”

“Not at all. Just kinda uncomfortable.”

“Great! Because that’s the line I want to straddle with you.” Pitch used the end of the crop to lift Jack’s face, smiling hungrily at him. “I want to keep you there, right between pleasure and pain, where the line between the two blur. I want to overwhelm you with sensation. I want to see you at my feet, tears in your eyes and bruises on your skin, while you beg me for more. You’re a wild spirit, Jack. Give it a try and I think you’ll find that you’re very kinky.”

Jack was very flustered by the time the other was done talking. A little bit of fear even creeped in imagining Pitch leaving bruises on him, but at the same time, the thought of being marked by him was incredibly hot. He remembered being bitten, how it had been a jolt of pain yet also felt good. His cock ached and he idly rubbed his neck. He had looked at it the other day and it had only a faint purple splotch that had gone away quickly. He wondered what it could look like if Pitch really took the time to suckle on it…

“That all sounds… really intense,” he said, slowly pacing back and forth as he thought about it. “I mean we only just became friends, I guess, and before this my only sexual experience with you was, you know, the handjobs… I’m just not sure about all this kink stuff. I think I want to try simpler stuff. You know, to start out with.”

“Of course! I won’t push you into anything you don’t want to do. If you want to keep tonight simple, we can do that.”

“Though… maybe we can keep the crop,” Jack said. “Just to try it.”

“Sounds good. I really do think you’ll like this. But at any point, you can tell me to stop and I will. And I want you to tell me to stop if you need to. Don’t worry about how I’ll feel.”

“Okay.”

“Then let’s get to it, shall we?”

They disrobed and Jack was a little shy about revealing he was already turned on. Then Pitch dropped his own trousers and Jack realized he was hard too.

“Did all that talk of hurting me get you excited?” Jack teased.

“I’d be lying if I said no,” Pitch replied. “Submission is quite the turn on for me.”

“You seem to have a lot of turn ons.”

“I do. And I can’t wait to show them to you. And perhaps together, we’ll find out I have even more.” Pitch approached him, pointing to the bed. “Sit down. Yes, right there at the edge of the bed, and keep your knees apart.”

“Oh boy.” Jack’s heart pounded, cheeks flushing. “You don’t mince words, huh?”

“I prefer to be very direct with my partners. I like seeing them obey me.”

Jack did as told, sitting and holding his legs open so he was on display. “Who have you been with before?” he asked. “Just out of curiosity.”

“I don’t want to get into all that. I’ll just say it’s… been a long time since I was able to be intimate like this with another. But my tastes have hardly changed and I still remember exactly what to do.”

Jack was still curious but he decided not to push it. “Then go on,” he said. “Impress me.”

“As you wish.”

The crop lashed Jack in the center of the chest before he was prepared and he arched, teeth gritting as he just barely managed not to hiss in pain.

“That looked painful,” Pitch remarked.

“You think?” Jack glanced at his chest but there were no visible marks. His skin was still stinging, though.

“I know. Should I stop?”

Jack knew Pitch was really eager to use this toy and didn’t want to disappoint him. Jack was sure he could get used to it. “Nah, you can keep going.”

Pitch gave him another firm smack but it felt like he was holding back. It hurt less, though Jack still moaned. The stinging was really beginning to feel nice, a sharp contrast from the pleasant haze of arousal, and it quickly got him excited.

Pitch brought the crop down in a few different places, soon moving from his chest to smack his arms. Then Pitch said, “Put your arms behind your back and grasp your wrists.”

“Uh, okay…” Jack did so.

Pitch struck lower, at his stomach. He moaned, muscles clenching.

“You’re being such a good boy for me, Jack,” Pitch murmured.

A breathy gasp escaped Jack and his hips trembled. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling embarrassed at how much that got to him.

Then a smack to the inside of his thigh had his eyes flying back open, nervously looking down.

“Eyes forward,” Pitch ordered. “Look at me.”

Jack forced himself to look back up, though he could tell that he had already started dripping precum.

“That’s it.” Pitch ran his free hand through Jack’s hair, petting him gently. “You’re doing so well. And remember, you can tell me to stop.”

“I don't want you to,” Jack replied, which made the other smile wider, a hunger in his gaze that was already familiar.

Jack kept his eyes on him and winced when his other thigh was hit. The sting resolved into a warm ache that seemed to spread across his groin, and he again wiggled his hips. He really hoped Pitch didn’t use the crop on his dick. That would definitely tip over into purely painful territory.

But Pitch avoided hitting it. He crept close a few times, giving Jack a feeling of danger as those stings surrounded his base. Then he felt the leather lightly touch his underside, giving him a small prod.

“Even after all that you’re still so hard,” Pitch said. “You’re into this, aren’t you?”

Jack nodded, his breathing a little rough. “Y-yeah, it feels… better than I expected. Like, it hurts… but in a good way.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Now get up on the bed and face the headboard on your hands and knees.”

Jack wasn’t expecting that order but he obeyed so easily he surprised himself. He usually didn’t like being told what to do, so why has he been so compliant with Pitch? Was it just because of the pleasure he was being promised, or was there more to it?

He glanced over his shoulder once he was in the requested position and saw Pitch move past him to the nightstand, getting something out, though Jack couldn’t make out what it was. Then Pitch got up on the bed behind him. “Eyes forward,” he said.

Jack was intensely curious but listened, looking forward.

The crop hit his back. He arched, feeling the tip of his cock bounce up into his stomach. He adjusted his stance a bit, planting his knees a little wider apart. “Can I go down onto my elbows?” he asked.

“Of course. That would probably make it easier on you anyway.”

Jack sank down onto his elbows and blushed as he imagined what he must look like from Pitch’s angle, his upper body down and his ass raised high…

Pitch gently felt down the curve of his spine with a finger, circling a spot on his back that was surprisingly sensitive. Jack moaned quietly. Then Pitch’s finger moved and the crop hit him there, making him grunt instead.

Pitch spent a good minute working to cover his back in that dull but warm ache the leather left behind. Then a few strikes came to the outsides of his thighs. He gripped the covers hard, eyes closed as he focused on keeping his breathing even. The pain swirled through his body and he almost wanted to reach down and jerk off just to see how it would feel…

Then the crop came firmly down onto an ass cheek. It felt like his entire body shuddered at that one. He moaned, trying to lift his backside up higher.

“Oh, you like that?” Pitch asked in a tone of delighted surprise. He rubbed his palm over where he had hit to soothe the pain, then hit the other cheek. Jack moaned again. He was beyond caring about how loud he was. He wanted Pitch to know what he was doing to him. “Hm, I wonder…”

Jack felt the distinct sensation of a hand smacking him instead. It felt so much better than it had any right to and he whimpered as his skin smarted. “Ah! P-please, do that again…”

“You like spanking! Oh this is very interesting.” Pitch smacked him a few more times and then just rubbed him, the pain fading quickly.

“Nngh…” It was taking all of Jack’s effort not to jerk off. He kept his arms planted, hoping Pitch would take hold of him instead.

“You’re being so good for me, my little one. But I think that’s enough of the crop for now. You deserve a reward for being so good.”

Jack wasn’t sure what to expect and he started to look back, only to be told to keep his eyes forward. He sighed but did so.

The bed shifted as Pitch changed his position, then Jack felt his long fingers against his cheeks, stroking for a few moments before spreading them apart. Then he felt something warm and wet prod against his skin.

“Ah…” A shiver went down him as it moved and he realized it was Pitch’s tongue. He wasn’t sure what to say in response to that, but then, maybe words weren’t needed. He relaxed for the other, curious to see what he would do.

Pitch’s tongue trailed up and down and Jack moaned when it passed along his taint, putting pressure on it that made his balls tighten. Pitch gripped Jack’s upper thighs and actually pulled him closer, and Jack felt the other’s nose nestle between his cheeks. Then Pitch was lapping across his hole.

“Oh!” Jack jolted at the sensation. It was such a weird yet pleasant feeling, and he even felt fleeting disgust. He kept himself clean, sure, but…

“Relax,” Pitch murmured against him, muffled. “You’ll like this.”

Jack relaxed, deciding that if Pitch didn’t mind, then he didn’t mind. The other’s tongue gently circled him, teasing him. He groaned, so hard it was starting to hurt. He pressed back slightly against Pitch, trying to tell him to get a move on. So Pitch slid his tongue through the ring of muscle.

Jack moaned, hips jerking. He hadn’t expected such a small movement to get to him so much. He gave in completely to what Pitch was doing, slowly moving his hips back against him as he explored further with his tongue, easing it in and out. It was quite long compared to a normal tongue but even so, Pitch soon reached the point where he could go no further with it. He kissed Jack’s skin to make up for it, tongue flicking at his walls all the while, and Jack grew so close he was sure he would burst the moment either of them touched his dick.

But then Pitch withdrew, leaving a final kiss to Jack’s entrance before moving to kneel next to him, a hand on his back.

“Why’d you stop?” Jack asked weakly, thighs trembling.

“Because I didn’t want to get you off quite yet. That was just foreplay. The appetizer before the meal.”

“Oh.” Jack lifted a hand, swiping sweat from his forehead. It was still strange to him how warm his body became when he was with Pitch like this. “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“Since I already got you nice and loose with my tongue… how do you feel about us going all the way?” Pitch opened his palm to show Jack a bottle.

Jack looked at it without comprehension for a few moments, as the room was dark and his vision was unsteady. Then he blinked and managed to focus on the label. “Lubricant? For what- oh. _Oh_ , you want to…” He glanced back and then at Pitch, eyes going to his endowment and then back to his face. He chuckled nervously imagining that fitting inside him. “Go inside me.”

“That’s the blunt way of describing it, yes.”

“Will it…” Jack hesitated, biting his lip. “Will it hurt?”

“It doesn’t have to.” Pitch stroked his cheek and he leaned into it. “It might be a little uncomfortable at first. But if you let me take my time preparing you, it won’t hurt. I want this part to be enjoyable for us both.”

Jack was still unsure but he did want to see what it was like. So he nodded. “Okay. Yeah, let’s do it.”

“There we go. Now just stay relaxed for me.” Pitch moved back behind him and Jack heard the click of the bottle opening. Then Pitch was touching a finger to his entrance, slick with lube. After earlier, Jack found it easier not to tense when Pitch’s finger slid inside. It was definitely odd, though. Like it wasn’t quite meant to be there. But at least there was no pain.

Pitch went in deep with his finger, much further than his tongue could go, and Jack pressed his face into his arms with a groan.

“Doing alright?” Pitch asked.

“Great,” Jack replied.

“Here, let me do something for you.” Pitch slid his finger back and forth a few times before sliding it much further back, until his fingertip was only a couple inches in. Then he pressed firmly downward at a spot that made a sudden pleasure flood Jack’s body. He gasped and his cock twitched in response. He was just starting to relax when Pitch did it again, the sensation so good he arched and threw his head back, crying out. “So responsive!” Pitch said gleefully. His voice grew lower and huskier. “I cannot wait to see how you move when my dick is pounding you there.”

Jack nearly came at the thought alone. “What… is that, exactly?”

“Prostate.” Pitch pulled his finger back and gave it a fresh coat of lube, along with a second finger. Then he pressed both inside, rubbing that sweet spot. “Only a thin wall of tissue separates the prostate gland from the rectum,” he said so casually he could have been teaching a class, but Jack appreciated the clinical tone. He wasn’t sure he could handle any especially dirty talk with the way Pitch was currently stroking him. Each touch sent a current of pleasure deep inside him, actually seeming to run from that spot to his front, going up the length of his cock. “The gland is sensitive. So touching you here stimulates it and it feels quite pleasurable.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jack muttered.

“Some people can orgasm from prostate stimulation alone,” Pitch said. “I’m looking forward to seeing if you’re one of them, but please… do try and wait until my cock is buried inside you, hm?”

Jack nearly choked on his own spit. He coughed and blushed hard, agreeing, “Y-yeah. I’ll try and hold on.”

“Good boy.” Pitch thrust his fingers in further.

It was almost unbearable for Jack to hold back his climax. He was right there at the edge and each motion of Pitch’s talented fingers inside him threatened to push him over. When Pitch was satisfied with two, he worked in a third. Jack bit down on the blanket and whined as he was stretched open, the sensation not quite painful but still uncomfortable. He hoped that after this, it would be easier for Pitch to prepare him.

He trembled each time Pitch teased his prostate. He had no idea he had that sweet spot inside him. He couldn’t help but wonder what else Pitch could show him about his body.

He reflected on how quickly their relationship has changed. They had never really hated each other, but there was definitely dislike. They had been on opposite sides of a battle, after all. Pitch had tried to befriend him months ago and Jack had refused him, which he could tell left a bad taste in Pitch’s mouth.

But their fights over the past few months were more playful than anything. They both respected each other and liked seeing each other. Jack’s thoughts had so often gone to what a friendship between them could be like…

Now here he was. They were friends and he was currently on his knees in Pitch’s bed getting fingered. He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it.

After what felt like far too long, Pitch slid his fingers out. He rested a hand on Jack’s lower back as he pressed his hips up against him, other hand going to his length to guide it into place. Jack could feel that it had been coated with lubricant too. “Alright, here we go,” Pitch said. “Are you ready?”

Jack was a bundle of nerves but he nodded and braced himself. “Ready.”

“Try to stay relaxed for me. Also, I expect you to tell me if you need me to stop.”

“Yeah, I know, just come on!”

Pitch thrust inside. Not all at once, just enough to get his head in, but even that was enough to make Jack gasp in surprise, shaking slightly.

“Are you alright?” Pitch asked.

“Yeah, it’s just… damn, that feels weird…” Jack shifted a bit, reaching out to grab a pillow to pull over and wrap his arms around.

“But not painful, right?”

“No, not really…”

“Good. I’m going to keep going.” Pitch moved his hand from Jack’s lower back to his hip, holding it firmly. He eased further inside and Jack buried his face into his pillow to muffle his moan. Pitch clicked his tongue. “Now, now, what have I told you? Don’t muffle yourself. I want to hear you.”

“Ah, right…” Jack lifted his face, resting his chin on the pillow instead and letting himself moan out loud. He felt Pitch’s nails dig into his skin and rocked back against him. The other thrust deeper and the stretch made Jack pant with effort.

“You’re doing so good,” Pitch praised him. Jack felt him grasp his hips with both hands now, pulling him closer.

“That’s gotta be almost all of you, right?” Jack asked hazily. He heard the other chuckle.

“I’m about halfway in, actually.”

“Oh, fuck.” Jack was amazed at how full he already felt. He could only imagine what it would be like once the other was in all the way.

“Need me to stop? Or maybe just pull out a bit and give you some time to adjust?”

“N-no, this is okay. You can keep going.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear. Ohh…” Pitch sank in even further and Jack felt him shiver. “Your body is so cool, even with how much you’ve warmed up since we started… you feel incredible. That’s it, just stay relaxed…”

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, back arching as he was filled up. Pitch was so, so hot inside him and it was making his entire body grow flushed. This was a strain but he wanted it so bad.

“Here we go, little one, almost there…” Pitch began a slow, in and out thrust that made Jack’s legs weak. He probably would have collapsed if not for the other’s strong hands holding him in place. Each thrust in took Pitch a little deeper and Jack whimpered in pleasure. It was an intense feeling but a very good one. Especially as Pitch rubbed past his sweet spot, sending shocks up his spine and to the tip of his cock.

“Ohh, Pitch,” he moaned, hearing the other moan too.

“Jack,” Pitch responded with such honest pleasure that Jack shuddered. It was amazing having someone so attracted to him, who he was making feel so good with his body. Pitch thrust a little harder and Jack began to dig his teeth back into the pillow, not necessarily because he wanted to muffle himself, but because he was sure he would scream if he didn’t. Pitch caught on immediately. “Don’t worry about how loud you might be... trust me, I want to hear all of it. So come on, let me hear you.”

Jack let go of the pillow and cried out. There was an edge of pain now but everything felt so good he didn’t care. Then Pitch gave another firm thrust in and paused, catching his breath, and Jack took the opportunity to relax too.

“There.” Pitch patted his backside. “Now I’m all the way in.”

“Oh, wow,” Jack murmured dizzily. It felt like he was stuffed to the brim, insides aching, but it felt good too. It was raunchy and thrilling.

“I’m going to move now. If at any point you want me to speed up or slow down, just tell me.”

“Mm, okay…” Jack mentally prepared himself but he still wasn’t ready for how good it felt when Pitch began moving. His thrusts before had been short and focused as he inched in to the hilt. Now he moved his hips in long, smooth thrusts that caused him to pull nearly all the way out before plunging back in, the impact rattling Jack’s entire body.

Jack gripped the pillow tightly in his fists, letting out cries with every single thrust. The ecstasy was consuming and it blanked out every thought except for how incredible he felt.

He could hardly even control the words that left his throat. “Pitch, oh… _Pitch_ … right there, please…”

“So vocal, little one,” Pitch purred. His voice dripped with arousal. “It’s very enticing. Keep talking to me. Let me hear your pleasure.”

“Y-you feel so good, ah… so big…” Jack whimpered when Pitch’s pace grew rougher, slamming harder into him and rubbing past his sweet spot with enough force that his cock jumped. He trembled as pressure built between his legs. He had been close when Pitch loosened him earlier but now he was so close he was surprised he hasn’t come already.

“You feel good too, you’re so tight.” Pitch briefly felt along Jack’s thighs and then settled his palms on his ass cheeks, squeezing them and pushing them closer together to increase the friction.

“Ahh…” Jack trembled, leaning his head back as all the sensations overwhelmed him. “K-keep going, please, don’t slow down…”

“I won’t slow down. I’m going to keep giving it to you. Going to give you everything I’ve got, until you’re a well-fucked, blissed out mess underneath me.”

“Nn, I think… think I’m already there… oh…” Jack was close to losing it. He rocked himself into Pitch’s thrusts, making him hit even harder inside him, and his cock ached so bad he almost reached down to jerk himself off, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to balance on just one arm. He considered asking Pitch to do it.

“You’re close, aren’t you? Such a good boy, you deserve to feel like this. How do I feel, Jack? Be specific.”

“Big,” was the immediate thing that came to mind. Jack heard him snicker in response.

“You've said that already, thank you. What else?”

“You’re so warm… hot, actually… almost feels like I might… might melt around you.” Jack let out a whine as his pleasure reached its peak. He wouldn’t be able to hold back. He didn’t want to. “Aah! Harder, please, I need it!”

“Harder? If you say so…”

Pitch’s next thrust was so rough that Jack completely came undone. He practically screamed with the force of his orgasm, entire body jerking as he came against his stomach and onto the covers below. Then he slumped forward, head swimming with pleasure and body feeling heavy.

“Ohh fuck, Jack,” Pitch said breathlessly. A few more thrusts and Jack was feeling him finish too, heat flooding his insides, and it was enough to make him moan weakly. His spent cock let out another small stream of cum and his head grew even foggier. He was so tired.

Pitch pulled out and gently turned Jack over onto his back before laying down with him, pressing their lips together.

Jack smiled a bit into the slow, gentle kiss they shared. His stomach did flips when Pitch’s fingers drifted through his hair. Then they separated and Pitch said, “You felt amazing when you came. I just wish I could have seen your face.”

Jack laughed a little. “Maybe next time we should do that with me on my back, then.”

“It’s a bit more of a strain like that but if you want to, we can. Besides…” Pitch’s fingers drew lightly down Jack’s face. “Then we could embrace. And kiss.”

“Mm, sounds nice…”

“It does, doesn’t it? Ah, you look so worn out… I take it you enjoyed yourself?”

“Oh yeah. That was amazing.” Jack finally opened his eyes, looking at Pitch. The other’s hair was a bit tousled and his face was still flushed. His bright eyes were sharply focused on Jack, like he was memorizing every bit of him. “Things were kinda uncomfortable at first, but I’m glad I pushed through that. That was… probably the most fun I’ve ever had.”

“Coming from you, that’s quite the compliment.” Pitch leaned in and nuzzled him, and Jack draped his arms around his neck, just wanting to touch him.

It was so nice having someone in his arms like this. Jack hoped this relationship lasted. After being with Pitch like this, so close and intimate, going back to being alone would be torture.


	6. Conversations

As the two rested together, Jack’s mind began to clear from the lustful fog. He began to feel uncomfortable and sticky. His legs ached from holding himself up. And he was quite aware that he was laying in a puddle of his own sweat and cum.

“Hey, uh…” Jack cleared his throat and gave Pitch a sheepish look. “Can we take a bath or something?”

“We?”

“Sure, I mean… we’ve already slept together, twice, so sharing a tub would be fine.”

“I just figured you’d prefer a different temperature of water to me,” Pitch said. “I keep the water as hot as a hot tub. Which I don’t think would be very comfortable for you, little frost spirit.”

Just the thought of hot tub-like temperatures made Jack wince. But he did want to bathe with Pitch, so he said, “I have gotten pretty used to heat and you mentioned my body warmed up during this… maybe it won’t be so bad.”

“Let’s see then.” Pitch got up and Jack started to sit up too, only for Pitch to lift him bridal style and carry him through the room.

Jack blushed. “I can walk, you know.”

“After the pounding I just gave you? I doubt it.”

“I’m pretty tough.”

“And I was pretty rough, especially at the end. Trust me, you don’t want to walk too much right now.”

There was a bathroom to the side of the room that Jack hadn’t noticed. Pitch opened a solid black door that had blended in with the rest of the wall and there they were, stepping into a small but elegant bathroom.

“I will need you to stand while I get the water running,” Pitch said. “Though if you do need to sit, well, there’s the toilet.”

Jack scoffed. “I think I’ll manage.”

Pitch set him down. When he put his weight on his legs he immediately understood what Pitch meant. His groin ached and his legs shook unsteadily. He grabbed the nearby counter for support.

Pitch smirked and went to the tub, starting the water. It was a fairly deep tub and it had a shower head mounted high above it, with a curtain that could be drawn around it. Pitch held his hand under the water as he adjusted the knobs, then said, “Here, check this and tell me if it’s too hot.”

Jack looked away from his reflection, which he had been examining in the mirror. He could already tell he’ll have several bruises later from all the places he was smacked with the crop. He carefully walked over to the tub, each step a fresh jolt of pain, but it was tolerable. He put his hand under the faucet.

The water that hit it was hot enough to make him flinch and he realized that steam was rising from it. He yanked his hand back and waved it as it stung. “This is comfortable for you?” he demanded.

“Very. But, for you, I suppose I can adjust it.” Pitch turned the cold water knob a bit further. Jack waited a few seconds and then tested the water again. Still hot but it wasn’t quite painful. He felt like he could get used to that. He kept his hand under it, adjusting to the temperature, and finally nodded.

“Okay. Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Great.” Pitch put the plug in and the tub began to fill.

Jack stepped back and returned to the mirror, checking himself out. The riding crop had left reddish-purple marks all over his skin. Each spot was tender as he felt it. He kinda liked how it looked, though. And getting hit had been pretty hot. He had enjoyed it more than he expected.

He turned to put his back to the mirror and looked over his shoulder to see those marks, and his gaze traveled down to his hips. He realized Pitch’s nails had left small scratches and he carefully felt one. It didn’t hurt but he had a feeling it would be sore later.

Pitch stepped into the tub and sank down, getting comfortable. “Ah, now that hits the spot. Feel free to get in whenever you’re ready.”

Jack looked at the tub, watching the water pour from the faucet for a few moments. There was still a good bit of steam rising up, but he wanted to get cleaned off, and bathing with the other did sound really pleasant. So he put aside his misgivings and went to the tub, holding the side with both hands while he swung a leg in. The movement made him wince slightly in pain, and the sudden heat surrounding his foot made him groan.

But he tolerated it, getting his other foot in and then awkwardly standing there as he tried to decide where he should sit. Pitch was lounging against the opposite end from the faucet and had his legs stretched out, so Jack wasn’t really sure he’d be able to sit toward the sides. And he certainly didn’t want to lean against the faucet end and have to deal with the water pouring on him.

Pitch raised a brow at him and then took his hand, tugging him down. “You look like you’re overthinking things so here, just sit in front of me. There’s plenty of room.”

Jack nodded and let Pitch pull him all the way down. Then Pitch turned him and had him sit between his legs, back to Pitch’s front, and Jack grew warm as the other wrapped both arms around his waist and held him.

“There, now this is comfortable.” Pitch nestled his face into the back of Jack’s neck. Jack wasn’t sure what to say in response, so he didn’t say anything. He just enjoyed the touch, leaning back and letting his eyes drift shut. He felt the other kiss his neck a couple times and his chest grew fuzzy. He never thought Pitch would ever be this affectionate with him. It was such a good feeling, he could just sit like this for hours.

The water slowly rose around them and Jack tensed a few times, but he was pretty used to it by the time it was traveling up his stomach. The tub was deep enough that the water would easily reach their chests with the way they were sitting.

Pitch moved his face away after a few minutes, letting go of Jack and moving his hands to his back. Jack inhaled softly as the other gingerly traced his fingers along some of his bruises. “Do these hurt?”

Jack shook his head. “No.”

“No?” Pitch sounded amused. “You don't need to act tough for me, you can be honest.”

“I'm serious. They don't hurt, it just kinda stings when you touch them.”

“Mm. Well, I was holding back.” Pitch leaned back in, kissing a few of the spots. His voice lowered. “One day, I'd like to see if you can take my full strength.”

Jack trembled in a mix of apprehension and arousal. “Yeah, maybe one day.” He wasn't sure why he was entertaining this. Why would he _accept_ Pitch trying to hurt him? Unless... maybe he was a masochist.

Pitch didn't say anything more about the marks, instead getting a washcloth and soaking it in water before covering it with soap and beginning to clean Jack. Jack wasn’t expecting that but he didn’t protest it, just enjoying the soothing motions. It seemed Pitch took extra care over the places where he had been smacked and something about that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Once Pitch had covered him in a thick lather of soap, he let it sit and then began cleaning himself.

Jack raised his arm to his nose and sniffed curiously. “Wait. No way, is this Axe?”

“I chose it for the name of the scent alone,” Pitch replied.

“You’re seriously using Dark Temptation. Wow.”

“Yes. Granted, I was not expecting the chocolate-like smell, but I still like it.”

Jack laughed. “It does smell pretty good.”

Pitch nodded in agreement and rinsed out the washcloth. “Definitely.” He set the cloth out of the way and got another bottle. “Now let me wash your hair.”

“I can wash my own hair…”

“I’m sure you can, but I’d like to do it for you.”

Jack was sure Pitch just wanted any excuse to touch him. But then, Jack wasn’t any better. “Okay, but I’m washing your hair in return.”

Pitch smiled. “Deal. Keep an eye on the faucet while I do and turn it off when the water is about half a foot below the top, okay?”

“Okay, yeah.” Jack checked to see how far the water had to go. It wasn’t quite there yet so he relaxed and leaned back into Pitch’s hands as they settled in his hair, already coated with shampoo. The other began gently scrubbing and his eyes flickered shut. He hadn’t thought something so simple could feel so nice. This seemed way better than washing his hair himself.

Pitch almost seemed to be massaging him as he worked, fingers moving in steady glides. He spread the shampoo through each strand and Jack was in heaven.

Jack nearly dozed off to the pleasant sensation, but then Pitch’s hands moved away and he gave Jack a small nudge forward.

“The water,” Pitch reminded him.

“Huh?” Jack forced his eyes open and saw how high the water had risen. “Oh.” He leaned forward and shut the water off. Then he shifted, turning around to face Pitch and looking for the shampoo bottle.

Pitch passed it to him and Jack poured a small amount into his palm. The other had pretty short hair so this should be plenty.

He set the bottle aside, lathered up the shampoo, and then got to work. He expected Pitch to criticize his technique, but he didn’t speak, just closing his eyes and tilting his head forward slightly into Jack’s hands.

Jack smiled a little. Pitch seemed so nonthreatening like this. Cute, even. Jack scrubbed a little harder; the other’s hair was fairly thick. It had a bit of a coarse texture too, not as soft as it looked. But Jack liked it anyway. He played with it as he ran the shampoo through, making parts of it spike in different directions and then smoothing it back down.

“Having fun?” Pitch asked as Jack slicked his hair to go straight down the back of his head instead of sweeping backward like it tended to do.

“Always,” Jack replied. He pulled his hands away and dropped them into the water. “There, I think that’s good.”

Pitch reached up to feel his hair and then took a few moments to scrub at it himself. Then he shifted and fully dunked himself underwater. He came back up and Jack watched water stream across his face and down his neck and chest, finding the sight surprisingly alluring. Then he cleared his throat and looked away, moving back so he could dip his head underwater too. He didn’t stay under long; it was far too hot for that. He came back up and rubbed water from his eyes.

“I’m surprised you haven’t melted yet in this heat,” Pitch teased.

“It’s still possible. Can’t believe you like this, and that you usually have it even hotter.” Jack opened his eyes and looked back at the other. It really sank in that he was sitting here taking a bath with Pitch Black. The man who was an enemy to all of the other Guardians, who was considered a threat to children all across the world. Who was more than capable of summoning any number of dangerous, sharp weapons made of pure darkness at a moment's notice. Who has even attacked Jack with those very weapons.

And yet Jack was bathing with him and they had just washed each other’s hair as if there was no bad blood between them at all. Things really have changed a lot.

Jack’s skin tingled a bit as he thought about how nice it was to touch the other. He looked Pitch over and scooted closer to him, leaning back against him. He kept expecting the other to grow tired of it and push him away, but Pitch instead wrapped his arms around him and held on.

Jack yawned and rested his head against the other’s chest, turning onto his side as he snuggled up. Pitch wasn’t exactly the softest person to cuddle with. While he was muscular in some places, he was also lanky and his rib bones could actually be felt clearly through his skin. But Jack didn’t mind. He was just happy to be touching him. Between Pitch’s warmth and the heat of the water, Jack felt like he was laying in an oven. But he was also so comfortable he didn’t want to move. If he got heat stroke then so be it.

For a while, they relaxed there together. Neither spoke and they were both fine with the silence. Jack listened to the steady beat of Pitch’s heart and Pitch traced little patterns along Jack’s side with his fingers, seemingly just enjoying the feel of him.

But then, just as Jack could feel sleep crowding in around the edges of his consciousness, Pitch moved and groaned, stretching his legs. The movement made Jack sit up a little too, yawning and looking up at Pitch’s face.

“As nice as this is, we should probably get out,” Pitch said. “The water’s starting to get cold.”

“I see no problem with that.”

“Of course you don’t. But we’re also gonna get rather wrinkly if we stay too long.” Pitch lifted a hand to examine his fingers and then showed Jack. Jack looked at the wrinkles that had formed and then checked his own hand.

“Ah. Yeah, let’s get out.”

They took the plug out and got up. Jack was shaky as he climbed out, but Pitch held his hand and supported him the whole time. Pitch got towels for each of them and passed one over, then began drying off.

Jack briefly mopped water out of his hair, then smirked and lowered the towel. With a thought, he made all the water on his body freeze into a sheen of ice. Which he then shook off, watching it fall to the bath mat under him.

“Well that’s convenient,” Pitch said.

“I could do that for you,” Jack offered.

“No thanks, while I don’t mind the cold, I would prefer to stay warm right now.” Pitch kept using the towel.

Jack shrugged and hung his towel on a rack, then went to the mirror. His skin, usually pale, seemed to have gained some more color after being in that hot bath. It was a strange look for him.

He looked at his messy hair and began running his fingers through it, getting it back into the specific, windswept look that he liked.

“I have a hairbrush, you know,” Pitch commented, walking up next to him.

“Don’t need it.”

“Of course you don’t.” Pitch tossed his towel onto his shoulder and then picked up the brush, tending to his hair.

Jack watched him in the mirror as he elegantly styled his hair. Jack found himself wondering how he would look with properly styled hair. Odd, no doubt.

Pitch seemed to guess at what he was thinking. “Sure you wouldn’t like me to brush your hair? I do like the wild look but you could be quite dashing with the right style.”

Jack figured he could always mess his hair back up later if he didn’t like it. So he nodded and said, “Okay, go ahead.”

Pitch finished brushing his own hair and toweled it off one more time, then hung up the towel. He turned to Jack and gently cupped his cheek as he brought him in closer. “Alright, let’s see here.”

For a few moments, Pitch felt through Jack’s hair with his fingers and Jack waited, confused as to what he was doing. Then Pitch said, “Oh, here’s the part. Alright, I can work with this.” He began brushing.

Jack kept his eyes forward, watching the expression of concentration on the other’s face. Pitch was so handsome when he was focused.

After spending some time working with the hair on top of Jack’s head, Jack felt the brush begin to move down toward the sides, Pitch straightening out the hair there.

“You really need a trim,” Pitch remarked. “Hardly any of your hair seems to be the same length. But it’s fine. Makes it interesting to work with.”

“So you’re a hairdresser all of a sudden?”

“Heh. No, I’m not trained in that. I simply have had a long time to practice on myself. When you’ve been around for thousands of years, you begin to pick up on many different hobbies and skills out of sheer boredom.”

Jack nodded a little. He understood that.

Pitch went around behind him and brushed his hair there. Once done with that, he returned to Jack’s front and examined him, then gently brushed his fringe, making sure it wasn’t covering Jack’s eyes at all.

“There, I think that’s the best I can do without taking scissors to you.” Pitch set the brush down and turned him to the mirror. “What do you think?”

The change was subtle yet striking. Pitch had found a clear part to his hair and had brushed the rest out from there, going in smooth curves outward. Where his hair had stuck up before, it now laid flat, but there was still just enough volume to give it some personality. His fringe swept sideways across his forehead and almost dainty wisps of hair passed in front of his ears while the rest was swept behind them. He turned his head to check the sides, but that part of his hair had always seemed well-groomed anyway, the short strands falling straight. Still, Pitch had spent some time making sure there were no tangles.

He checked his other side and then felt the back. Much like on the sides, his hair all fell straight down yet there was a certain lushness to it that he almost wanted to just keep running his fingers through.

He dropped his hand and then just looked at himself, chuckling. “Well. That’s… pretty new. I look like my mom just got me ready for a dance or something.”

“I think it suits you,” Pitch said. “It says that you care about your appearance but you also like to have fun. Trust me, I could have made your hair look much more formal. I could have done a side part right here, and just brushed your hair straight out to the sides. It would be so boring for a person like you. But I kept a touch of that wildness. And there’s actually a few spots that wouldn’t quite listen.” He tilted Jack’s head forward and Jack saw a couple cowlicks springing up from around his part. Pitch flattened one down and it stuck right back up.

Jack laughed. “Well I did spend three hundred years hardly touching it and just letting the wind style it for me.”

“The wind has good taste.” Pitch spent a while longer at the counter, brushing his teeth and applying deodorant, while Jack kept checking out his hair. He was trying to decide if he wanted to keep it that way. It was still fun, yes, but it was just a little too styled for his liking.

Pitch finished up and looked at him again. He smiled and flicked Jack’s fringe. “So handsome.”

Jack blushed.

Pitch yawned and opened the door. “I think I’m going to head to bed. Are you coming?”

Jack nodded, following him out. “Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”

“Understandable.” Pitch briefly held his lower back while they walked to the bed. Partly just to be in contact with him, but also to make sure he didn’t fall. Jack was used to the soreness by now but he appreciated the consideration.

They got in bed together and climbed under the covers. Jack fell into the same position as before, laying on his side so Pitch could spoon him. His stomach fluttered and warmth blossomed in his chest. He couldn’t get enough of this. It almost hurt how much he liked it. This satisfied his deep longing for attention like nothing else.

He feared the day Pitch would get tired of it and move on.

Pitch shifted behind him and then tightened his arms around Jack’s waist, whispering into his ear, “I will never get tired of you. I’m more afraid you’ll move on from me, as you make more friends and more humans start to see you… why should a powerful Guardian care about the pathetic old Boogeyman?”

Jack exhaled slowly, then turned around to face the other. He took his face in his hands and kissed him. Pitch briefly started to pull back, then he gave in and followed Jack’s lead. The kiss wasn’t deep but it was tender, and when Jack leaned back, he murmured, “I care about you because you’re a person who deserves love and sympathy. Other people are lonely, sure, but they can still be seen by those around them. You can’t. And the depth of that kind of loneliness is only known to the two of us. I know how much it hurts and I will never let another person go through that. Not even you. I believe in you and I always will. As long as you want me, I’ll be here for you.”

Something warm flickered in Pitch’s eyes and he began to smile. It was such a sincere, happy look that Jack smiled too.

“You mean it? You really will stay?” Pitch asked.

“Well, I can’t literally stay here all the time. I do have work to do. But hey… we can work together. We can fly around and have fun and even, yeah, spice things up with a little well-placed fear. I mean… Halloween’s coming up, and I think you’d have a lot of fun that night.”

Pitch grinned at that. “Oh yes, I love Halloween.”

“Yeah. We’ll have our fun, and we can come back here whenever we want. We can relax together, cook…”

“Have sex,” Pitch added, biting lightly at Jack’s throat.

Despite how tired he was, Jack’s loins stirred a bit. “Yeah, and have sex. Haha, I never thought I’d lose my virginity to you, but I’m glad you were my first.”

Pitch snorted. “Losing virginity, what a dumb concept. Nothing was lost. You gained an experience. You were given pleasure. But I am happy to have been your first. I’m glad I was able to make it fun for you.”

“Mhm.” Jack rested against him, sighing in content. “Honestly, it’s hardly even scary anymore… are you even getting much power from my fear when we do this?”

“Not really. But it’s enough. And I enjoy your pleasure far more. Any fear you feel is just icing on the cake.” Pitch kissed his forehead. “If I'm really being honest, our game was just a thinly veiled excuse to sleep with you. But it did still frighten you at first, which was delicious.”

Jack nodded, laughing a little. “Yeah, it was scary, but I’m glad I rolled with it.” He was quiet for a bit as he considered if this was something he’d want to try with someone else, then realized Pitch might not like that. So he asked, “Do you want me to only be with you like this? I don’t know if I will ever want to sleep with anyone else, but if I do…”

“I don’t own you,” Pitch said quietly. “It’s your body. If you desire someone else, go for it. I won’t be offended. It’s nice to be able to share physical affection with others.”

“Oh. Alright. Sorry, I just don’t know a lot about this, I just have human relationships to go off of and I know they tend to get very upset with their partners sleeping with other people…”

“Well, we’re not exactly humans, are we? We're spirits, which from what I've observed tend toward polyamory. And on top of that… we’re not romantic partners. There is no cheating if we’re merely friends with benefits.”

“Right.” For some reason, Jack felt a twinge in his heart. They weren’t partners. They weren’t dating. They were friends who slept together.

But he wanted more. His longing for Pitch went beyond physical. He felt a connection with him that he didn’t feel for anyone else.

The feeling was a little scary. He wasn’t sure how to handle it, but he decided to just keep talking. “Is that, um… something you could see for us, though?”

“What?” Pitch asked.

“Being partners. Romantic ones. Dating.”

Pitch blinked at him. His expression became briefly unreadable and Jack hoped he didn’t cross a boundary. Then Pitch said, “As lovely as it would be to date you, I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet. There are so many more people in the world that could be right for us. We shouldn’t jump into a relationship together just because we’re the first ones to treat each other like this.”

“Oh.” That stung more than Jack expected. It wasn’t an outright refusal but it still hurt. “I just thought… I mean we’ve already become so close, and I do have… really strong feelings for you…” His chest ached more and he felt tears well up in his eyes, which horrified him. No, he couldn’t start crying! He saw Pitch’s expression turn to concern, but he kept going. “Maybe it isn’t love, maybe I’m just confused about what I’m feeling because I’ve never been with someone like this, but… I do really like you, I feel happy when I’m with you, and the thought of not being able to see you again is actually painful… ugh, maybe I am just an overly dependent wreck who thinks his obsession is love.”

Pitch’s eyes widened and he sat up. “Jack…”

Jack realized the tears had spilled over. He wiped them away and pushed himself up too, getting ready to leave. “I think I should go.”

“No, please!” Pitch grabbed his wrist.

“Pitch. Let go of me.” Jack’s tone was icy.

Pitch swallowed and let go. “Please,” he begged. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“You think there could be others in the world for us. Well, maybe I want to go see if sleeping with anyone else gives me the sort of feelings I have for you.”

“You don’t need to do that, you should only sleep with someone because you want to, not as some sort of… sort of test!”

“It’s my body. I can do what I want.”

“Of course you can, but I just don’t want you forcing yourself into something…”

Jack slipped out of bed and began pulling his pants on. He knew he was being irrational but it just hurt being near the other right now. He needed to get away regardless. “I’ll be fine. I just need to go. I have a lot to think about.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep here? You can think about things here, we can discuss them…”

“I need to be away from you for a bit,” Jack said bluntly.

“Oh. Of course.” Pitch seemed to shrink back. Jack’s heart ached at the sadness and disappointment on the other’s face. Jack wanted to jump back into bed with him, kiss him and tell him he still cared about him. But his emotions were like a whirlwind in his head and he just needed to get out of here, back into the wind where he could fly fast and clear his head.

Jack pulled his hoodie on and went to get his staff, then crossed to the nearest window and tossed it open.

“Will you return?” Pitch asked.

Jack looked back at him. His eyes were large and hopeful, but a frown tugged at his lips. He looked lost. Lonely.

Jack raised a hand and ruffled his hair back up, then said, “Yeah. Later.”

Pitch looked relieved at that but he was still forlorn. Jack sighed and turned away, leaping from the window without another word.


	7. Trying Someone New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update since chapters 7 and 8 kinda go together and I didn't want to interrupt the flow! Enjoy. :D

“Fancy seeing you here, mate,” a familiar voice shook Jack out of his dozing.

“Huh? Oh… hey, Bunny.” Jack opened his eyes and stretched. He was leaning against a tree in a pasture in Florida and he saw that the Sun had risen high in the sky. Clouds loomed in the distance and he could practically feel the thunderstorms that would be arriving later in the afternoon. Horses grazed idly nearby, aware of his presence but not minding him.

And standing next to him was Bunnymund, who had apparently hopped right out of a tunnel, which had closed itself up with only a flower left to mark where it was.

“Enjoying the weather?” Bunny asked.

“Oh yeah… summer in Florida, there’s nothing better,” Jack joked. The oak tree he was under provided shade but it was still sweltering. Luckily, he had a better tolerance for heat nowadays. He could also see mosquitoes buzzing about and was glad they had no interest in him. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for next Easter?”

“That ain’t for a while. I like to travel in my free time, keep things green, plant some flowers… you know.” Bunny knelt, paws going to the grass, which grew long and lush at his touch. Then he pulled it up and took it to one of the nearby horses.

The horse, a pinto mare, seemed to find nothing strange about the large bunny that had approached her. She gently took the grass from him and chewed.

“Atta girl. Ain’t she a beauty?” Bunny ran his palm against her cheek.

Jack chuckled. “Okay, Steve Irwin.” He got up, using his foot to toss his staff up to his hand.

Bunny snorted. “So what _are_ you doin’ down here in America’s armpit anyway? Not planning a freak snowstorm, are ya? Took the buggers years to repair the roads after the fun you had back in 89.”

“Nah, I don’t have any snow planned for here. I mostly just like to hit the Floridians with cold fronts, make it a balmy fifty degrees so they have to hunt for jackets and sweaters, you know.”

Bunny snickered. He patted at the ground with a foot and more tall grass spread around the area. The horses gladly got to munching on it.

Then he looked at Jack. “So this is just a vacation, eh?”

“Something like that.” Jack thought back to his conversation with Pitch and he sighed. It still hurt a little. He knew his feelings for him were strong but accepted that maybe Pitch was right, and they shouldn’t be so quick to date each other. It was too soon. They could just carry on with their friends with benefits relationship. They could even start traveling together like they had talked about. Jack would be happy about that. And maybe, after enough time together, they could revisit the idea of dating.

Bunny gave him a searching look. “Are you alright? You look tense.”

“I’m okay. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I’m not used to seeing you so serious. What are you thinking about?”

“It’s personal.”

“Oh. Alright, but if you wanna talk, I’ll listen.”

“You seem like a good listener,” Jack said. Bunny started to smile, then realized Jack was looking at his ears and scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Clever one, mate. But I mean it. You’re one of us, you’re our pal. We gotta look out for each other, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jack remembered what he had said to Pitch about finding someone else to sleep with. He was desperate to know if he got those same intensely affectionate feelings for anyone who touched him like that, or if it was just Pitch who made him feel that way. He mustered up his courage and blurted out, “Okay, I’m frustrated.”

“Frustrated? With what?” Bunny asked, cocking his head.

“You know, uh.” Jack grew a bit nervous. He felt so much more confident with Pitch. He patted at his thighs and leaned a hip out a bit, trying to communicate with body language. “It’s really personal and embarrassing but I kinda… want to get laid?”

Bunny’s nose twitched. Then he broke into laughter. “Is that all? Crikey, mate, you had me thinking you were wanting to brawl with someone or somethin’. So you wanna get laid?” He swept an arm around Jack and began walking with him, gesturing toward the west. “Well you didn’t hear it from me, but a certain tooth fairy does get all ruffled whenever she sees ya…”

“Uhh, I’m not… sure I want to sleep with Toothiana,” Jack admitted. “I mean, she’s pretty! She is, she’s really pretty, but I guess I… see her more like a mom than anything. Sleeping with her seems wrong. I don’t know, I’m just not into her like that.”

“It would help if you told me what you’re into, then,” Bunny said.

“I’m not… entirely sure, actually…”

“Fellas or ladies? Or both?”

Jack gave a helpless shrug. He had never really thought about this stuff until that first time in bed with Pitch. “I don’t think it really matters to me, I’m more interested in personality, I guess?”

“No wonder you’re frustrated, you wanna fuck but you don’t even know what you’re into. That’s rough. But there’s no shame in experimenting until you find what does tickle your pickle!”

“I like people who are taller than me,” Jack admitted. “Who can take charge but also listen to what I like.” His thoughts went to Pitch. “They should be strong… I want them to hold me down. And talk dirty to me in a low, confident voice…”

“Well.” Bunny’s nose twitched again and he smirked. “Tall and being able to talk eliminates Sandy for sure. How about North?”

“Uh… I don’t know.” Jack liked Pitch’s aggression but he got the feeling North might be a little _too_ strong. Not to mention, Jack saw him as a father figure and the thought of being in bed with him made him uncomfortable. “I kinda see him as a dad. I know that’s dumb, we’re not related, but…”

“Aah, it’s fine,” Bunny said. “North does have that sort of fatherly energy. Hm, let me think…”

Jack looked at Bunny for a bit as he muttered to himself, admiring how the sunlight shone on his fur and looking down across his lithe body. Then Jack said, “Well… what about you?”

Bunny froze. Not even his nose moved. Then his ears went toward Jack and he gave him an incredulous look. “Me? Are you off your nut?”

“What?”

“You would sleep with me?”

“Sure, why not? You look good. I think you’d be fun to have, with all that energy.”

Bunny just kept staring at him. “You sure, mate? I’ve been told I’m rather rough.”

Jack smirked and stepped closer to him, running his fingers through his chest fur and gazing into his eyes. “I like it rough.”

Bunny’s pupils expanded and he started to lean in. “Do you, now?”

“Yeah. Besides… aren’t bunnies supposed to be really good at breeding?”

That did it. Bunny scooped Jack up in his arms and gave the ground a firm double tap with his foot, opening up a new tunnel. “Oh I’ll show you just how good at breeding I am, mate,” he growled in a low voice.

Jack’s heart sped up and he immediately felt hot. “Can’t wait.”

Bunny leaped into the tunnel. He wasn’t able to move quite as fast with Jack in his arms but he took off on two legs anyway, bounding gracefully down the path. Jack held on tight, awed by the speed of their movement. It felt almost like riding a jet stream except much bouncier.

They emerged into a huge room of the Warren that Jack recognized as where Bunny had taken him and the other Guardians on Easter. But they didn’t stop there. Bunny ran to a side tunnel that led into a smaller, secluded room lined with soft grass, with a large cushion piled with blankets and pillows toward the back. Fairy lights strung up along the ceiling cast a warm yellow glow over them.

“This looks cozy,” Jack said, looking around. There were paintings on the stone walls, depicting grassy fields, baskets of eggs, even chickens and rabbits in peaceful settings.

“I like to come here when I need to think,” Bunny said. “It’s quiet and peaceful. So mate, what are you down for?” He carried Jack to the cushion and laid him down, kneeling next to him as he took off the bandoleer that held his boomerangs and put it aside. “A wristy, a blowy? ...All the way?”

“Uh…” Jack swallowed, his blush spreading across his face. “Well, I mostly just want to be touched, so… wait, wristy and blowy?” He glanced to the side and then laid his staff down out of the way.

“Handjob and blowjob. Not familiar with the lingo, eh?”

“Sorry, I just don’t usually talk about this stuff, though I have overheard a lot of things. Handjobs are great, but... I’ve never gotten a blowjob before.”

Bunny took off his bracers. “How experienced with sex are ya, mate?”

Jack thought about his two times with Pitch and smiled awkwardly. “Not very. I have spent most of my time until recently alone, you know…”

Bunny paused for a moment, then nodded soberly and put the bracers aside. “Right. Then I’m gonna show you the best time I can.”

Jack nodded and slid his hoodie off; he could already tell that it would be way too hot once they got to it. While he was doing that, Bunny slipped his pants down. He let out a little hum.

“Not one for jocks, are ya?”

“For what?”

“Underpants.”

“Oh. Yeah, I don’t wear those.”

Bunny finished taking his pants off. “I can’t say anythin’. I don’t wear clothes at all.”

“I can see that,” Jack replied.

Bunny set Jack’s pants aside and then looked him over, resting his paws on his chest. He trembled a bit. “Damn, you’re cold.”

“I sure am.”

“You got a thermostat or something?”

“Nope. Though I do warm up when I get excited. So if you wanna turn me up, you gotta turn me on.” Jack gave his hips a small wiggle.

Bunny chuckled. “Bad joke, mate.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

Bunny grasped Jack’s length and he let out a small squeak of surprise at how his paw felt. His paw pads were smooth and the fur around them was silky soft. The difference in texture made Jack squirm as the other stroked up and down.

“A-ah, Bunny…” Jack arched a bit, eyes falling shut.

“That shut you up, didn’t it?”

Jack didn’t answer, caught up in how good it felt. It was so different from Pitch that it was thrilling. He quickly grew hard, panting as he lifted his hips into the other’s strokes.

“Easy now, my little larrikin. Don’t blow your load too early.”

“I’m good,” Jack replied. He grasped blindly forward and found Bunny’s shoulders, which he rubbed before leaning up to wrap his arms around his neck.

“How long have you been frustrated, mate?”

“Nn, well…” Jack hesitated, not wanting to mention Pitch. Then he said, “A while. I usually just jerk off, but ohh…” He trembled when Bunny’s finger pads gently slipped over his tip. “It’s not quite the same… as having another person touching me.”

“Yeah, it’s quite a difference. Usually I'm alright takin' care of myself but other times, I just really need someone else's hands on me. You should see me during rut.”

“Rut?”

“In the hottest part of spring. I go into rut, it’s really frustrating actually. All I can think about is sex. Thankfully, one of the other Guardians usually helps me out.”

“Oh.” Jack hadn’t known about that. It was strange imagining Bunny with any of them. “Do, uh. All of them help you?”

“Well not all at once. Not that I would mind that, haha.” Bunny snickered, then said, “Sandy doesn’t, he’s asexual, got no drive for such things. But North and Toothiana have both lended me a hand.”

“Wow.” Jack was a little surprised at how openly Bunny was discussing this. Then again, he was the spirit of Easter. A time of hope… and new life. And you couldn’t exactly have new life without sex…

Bunny’s hand slowed and he moved to get between Jack’s legs, pressing them open. “But even when it’s not rut, I enjoy a good shag. Now, you want to try oral?”

Jack was unsure but was also feeling experimental. He nodded, opening his eyes to watch what the other was doing. “Yeah. If you’re okay with that.”

“No worries, mate. Let me know if I need to stop.” Bunny knelt down and Jack couldn’t help but tense in anticipation, not knowing what to expect. The other exhaled warm breath across his shaft and he sighed, relaxing back on his arms and biting his lip. Bunny glanced up and smiled at him, then nuzzled his snout softly against Jack’s skin. His fur tickled pleasantly and Jack felt his whiskers briefly brush against him. Then he licked a small stripe up Jack’s underside.

The heat of his tongue made Jack shudder, toes curling and fingers fisting into the blanket under him. “Oh…”

“You’re so cold, I feel like I’m licking a popsicle.”

“Yeah, sorry…”

“As long as my tongue doesn’t freeze to you, it’s fine. I’ll get used to it.” Bunny went to the head and swept his tongue around it, lips teasing over it, before running his lips back down. Jack lifted a hand a couple times, feeling an urge to touch Bunny’s head, but not wanting to be rude. Then the other gripped his base and began lapping up and down to a rhythm, and the sensation made Jack cry out, hand going to the top of Bunny’s head anyway. His fingers clenched into his soft fur and he lifted his hips, wanting more.

“So vocal,” Bunny said. His voice was husky. “I like that.”

Jack thought back to how Pitch would tell him he wanted to hear him and let out a whimper. He found himself wishing it was Pitch between his legs instead. Then he told himself to quit thinking about him. It wasn’t fair to Bunny to be thinking about someone else. He moved his hand a little, stretching out his fingers to rub behind Bunny’s ears.

“Mm, good boy,” Bunny whispered. Jack jerked at the praise, fingers pausing for a moment before he got a hold of himself and kept going. Bunny moved a hand to Jack’s waist, holding him steady while the other hand stayed around his cock, lightly going up and down the lower half of it while Bunny lapped at the upper half. Then his mouth went to Jack’s tip again and he suckled.

“F-fuck, ah!” Jack’s head fell back and he arched again, nearly coming right then and there. He just barely managed not to, not wanting it to be over so soon.

“You’re getting warmer,” Bunny observed, lifting his head and just stroking for a few moments. He watched the muscles along Jack’s front clench. “Does that mean you’re getting close?”

“Oh yeah,” Jack replied breathlessly. “I’m so close…”

“Already? You really need this then. Though, I am wondering…” Bunny slid his hand up from Jack’s waist, feeling along a few of the bruises from Pitch’s riding crop. Jack sharply inhaled. “Where did these come from?”

“Those? Oh, uh…” Jack struggled to think of a lie, but in his lust-addled state, it was really difficult to focus. “They’re from… a riding crop.”

“Riding crop? Crikey, Jack… these look fresh. Were you recently with someone?”

Jack groaned, pulling a little at Bunny’s fur, wanting to feel his mouth on him again. “Y-yeah, but I don’t want to talk about it right now…”

“Who were you with? Did they hurt you? Was this consensual?” Bunny’s tone quickly became concerned. He stopped moving his hand altogether.

Jack opened his eyes and looked down with a whine. Bunny was watching him, ears forward and eyes wide. Jack sighed and said, “Yeah, it was all consensual. Please, we can talk about it later, right now I need you to keep going.”

Bunny looked unsure but said, “Yeah. Alright.” He dropped his head down again. This time, he parted his lips and took Jack fully into his mouth. Jack closed his eyes and moaned at the hot pleasure that went up his spine, shaking uncontrollably. Bunny set a gentle pace, bobbing his head up and down, taking Jack in deep. Jack held on to Bunny’s head with both hands now, and his legs soon draped over the other’s shoulders, keeping them spread wide for the other.

His insides began to ache as his climax drew closer. This felt good but he wanted more, so much more. He wanted Bunny inside him.

“B-Bunny,” he whimpered as he hovered there on his edge. “Bunnymund, hold on, I don’t want to finish like this… aah…”

Bunny lifted his head, licking his lips off. “How do you want to finish, then?”

“Want you inside me, please…”

Bunny’s ears flicked and his nose twitched. He stared intently at Jack as he moved his legs down from his shoulders. “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” Jack promised.

“Because I’m a little odd, ya know.” Bunny lifted himself up on his knees and shifted the thick fur around his crotch aside, letting Jack see that he had a sheath. As Jack watched, a smooth pink shaft extended out of it, narrow but very long and seeming to get a little thicker toward its base.

“Oh wow.” Jack immediately wanted to know what that would feel like in him. “That’s totally okay. I want you.”

“Alright then.” Bunny brushed his ears back for a moment, seeming to collect himself. Then he slid off the cushion, going over to a nearby table and opening the drawer under it.

Jack saw his tail wagging slightly and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Does the tail wag mean you’re happy or nervous?”

“Both. It happens during any sort of emotional excitement.”

“So are you nervous?”

“A little.” Bunny took a small bottle out of the drawer and returned to the cushion.

“Really? I figured you’d be some super confident sex god. I mean hey, bunnies, Easter… sex is kinda your thing, you know?”

“I’m not nervous about the sex itself, mate.” Bunny popped the bottle of lube open. “I’m just worried about hurting you.”

“What? Oh come on, I can handle it.”

“Have you done anal before?”

“Yeah.” True, it was only once, but Jack felt confident enough about it now.

“That makes things a little easier. But ya sure you want me to top? I got no problem laying back and spreading for you.”

Jack shook his head. He did want to try topping one day but not right now. “I want you to do it. Please.”

Bunny coated a couple fingers with lube, nodding. “Okay. Hold still.”


	8. Quick as a Bunny

Bunny slowly reached down between Jack’s legs. His thumb briefly stroked over his balls, which made him giggle and lift his hips a bit. Bunny felt under them, his eyes locked on Jack’s rather than what he was doing. He seemed focused on making sure Jack was okay with everything he did, which Jack appreciated. Even if he kinda did want the other to pick up the pace.

Bunny took a few moments to feel around his entrance, fingers rubbing in circles, and Jack moaned in anticipation. Then Bunny slipped a finger in. It felt so different from Pitch’s slender fingers. Jack groaned as padded skin slid against him, followed by that delightfully soft fur.

“You alright there, Frost?” Bunny asked once he got his finger in to the knuckle.

“Yeah,” Jack replied, looking down and seeing that his cock was hard against his stomach and a little bit of pre was trickling down from it. He looked back up at the other’s face. It was hard to tell with Bunny’s fur, but the other seemed to be blushing. It was a good look on him. “Watch the claws, alright, kangaroo?”

Bunny scowled. “I keep my claws trimmed, thank you.” He slid his finger backward to give Jack a slight reprieve before pressing it back in, this time rubbing across his prostate and making him buck. Bunny smirked. “You probably should have mentioned that though before I started digging around inside ya.”

Jack moaned. “Probably. But I kinda like the danger.”

“Of course you do, you little daredevil.” Bunny’s other hand rested on one of Jack’s knees, gently rubbing it in reassurance. Then he put a second finger inside. They felt so thick and Jack again felt like he was going to come. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut, one arm going across his forehead, and his other arm went around Bunny’s neck. Bunny shifted and pulled Jack to straddle him, keeping him propped on his thighs as he kept loosening him. Jack’s arm slid down a bit, going around Bunny’s back instead.

The other leaned in, front pressing to Jack’s, and Jack moaned when he felt hot breath against his throat. “You are gettin’ warmer,” he informed him. “But you’re still cooler down here than anyone I’ve been with. I can’t wait to see how you feel around me.”

Jack let out a choked noise. “Please.”

“Relax. You need a little more preparation.”

Jack knew this was important but that didn’t stop him from entertaining fantasies of Bunny just roughly slamming into him anyway. He waited though, just enjoying the way the other’s fingers moved inside him, going in and out and occasionally spreading open to spread him too. And sometimes Bunny seemed to just play with his sweet spot, prodding it and pressing his furry stomach up against his cock as it twitched and dripped. It was driving Jack mad with want.

But finally Bunny’s fingers withdrew. Jack clenched a bit as he left, feeling empty and wanting that warmth back inside him. Luckily, he didn’t need to wait for long.

“This is it,” Bunny said, lubing himself up. He capped the bottle and dropped it, then his paws went to Jack’s hips, lifting them and pressing his tip to the other’s entrance. “You ready?”

Jack shivered with pleasure at the hungry way the other looked at him. He kept his arms around him and nodded. “Yeah.”

Bunny thrust inside. Immediately, Jack knew what he meant when he had warned that he was rough. The other plowed all the way in with one smooth motion and Jack keened, throwing his head back and clawing at Bunny’s back as pain and pleasure overwhelmed him.

“Was that too fast?” Bunny asked.

Jack panted, head swimming as adrenaline began pumping through him. “No,” he replied. “It just… surprised me… keep going.”

Bunny laid him down and pinned him, propped on an arm while holding Jack steady with his free paw on his hip. “You can bite me if you need to,” Bunny said quietly.

“Bite you? What do you… aah!” Jack cried out again as Bunny started moving. His thrusts were hard and fast, pounding Jack almost violently against the cushion. Ecstasy and pain burned through him and he bit down hard onto the crook of Bunny’s shoulder, needing something to ground himself. The raw sensation of the other moving in and out of him had him writhing in bliss, strained grunts escaping through his teeth, and he soon wrapped his legs around the other’s waist.

“That’s it, oh, you feel so good, I can feel you heating up around me, ah, so hot,” Bunny whispered.

Jack’s entire body was being moved by the force of his thrusts and he could hardly even keep up with them himself. He just had to ride the other’s pace, letting himself be swept up in the heat. Bunny thrust right past his prostate every time he went in and each impact deep inside him made him moan against his fur. It felt like the other’s cock was going impossibly far, filling him so completely he could hardly think of anything else. The steady friction kept him trapped between pain and pleasure and he desperately rubbed his need into Bunny’s front, he was so close…

“Ah, ah, Jack…” Bunny moaned louder, his thrusts seeming to get even quicker, more sporadic.

Jack’s teeth unlatched from the other’s coat and he called out as he came. Thick ropes of cum covered both their fronts and Jack dragged his nails down Bunny’s back, making the other arch.

“Fuck!” Bunny swore, hips quivering. “M-move your legs if you don’t want me to-”

Jack hissed against his throat, “Come inside me.”

Bunny hunched over him, gripping him with both paws as he slammed hard inside him, balls slapping against him and the base of his cock swelling. Then he finished with a heavy load that made Jack squirm.

“Nngh, that was so much, oh…”

Bunny gritted his teeth for a moment and briefly nuzzled his forehead against Jack’s before saying, “And there’s gonna be more.”

“M-more?”

“You told me to come inside and that’s what you’re gonna get. Aah…” Bunny gave another rough thrust forward and came again. Jack whimpered, feeling so full he might burst. “I’m a… a bloody fertility spirit too, ya dickhead.”

“Oh.” Jack hadn’t fully thought through the implications of asking the Easter Guardian to finish in him. He just knew he had liked it when Pitch did it, but this was so much more intense.

“You’re lucky this ain’t spring… I’m even messier during rut.”

“No kidding,” Jack panted. There was a third release and tears slipped down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, just relax and breathe, you’re alright.” Bunny rested his weight down on his elbows and gripped Jack’s face gently in his paws, petting him softly. “I’m almost done. Big inhale, now…”

Jack took a deep breath and felt the other come one last time. Bunny shifted a bit and the rubbing of his shaft against Jack’s sweet spot combined with the pressure made him have a weak, second orgasm that hardly released anything. Jack exhaled shakily.

“I know, I know,” Bunny comforted him. “I should have warned you.”

“It’s okay.” Jack’s voice was coarse. “I asked for it.” He dropped his legs and started to move back only for Bunny to grunt and not move.

“Yeah, another thing… I’m knotted,” Bunny said.

Jack’s brows furrowed. “Knotted?”

Bunny sighed and pushed himself up on his arms, letting Jack see as he gave a few deliberate backward tugs with his hips. Jack was pulled along with the motions and his eyes widened as he realized the other’s base had expanded into a knot that lodged him tightly inside. “It’ll deflate enough for me to pull out in about a minute but for now I can’t do anything.”

“I didn’t… didn’t realize rabbits had knots,” Jack said.

Bunny laid back down on his front, crossing his arms on Jack’s chest as he examined him. “Rabbits don’t. However, Pookas, my species, do.”

“Oh, that’s great.” Jack rested his head back, eyes closed as he caught his breath. He already felt so sore. Bunny’s pace had been frantic and overwhelming, and though it had felt amazing while it was happening, Jack knew it was going to hurt later. He wasn’t even fully recovered from having sex with Pitch the previous night. He had only spent the night and some of the morning away from him before Bunny found him. He healed fast but not that fast.

Bunny’s fingers gently ran through his hair and he thought yet again of Pitch. His heart ached. He wanted to be with him. Even though he was laying here with Bunny, feeling pretty good, he didn’t feel the same kind of longing to stay with him. He didn’t feel as affectionate toward him. Pitch was who he truly wanted.

“Did you enjoy it, at least?” Bunny asked.

Jack heard worry in his tone and opened his eyes, offering a smile. “Well, it all seemed to go so fast… but I liked it. Definitely hit the spot. I think I’m just, uh…” He moved a hand between them to rub his abdomen. “Gonna be sore later.”

“I’d suggest a hot soak but I get the feeling that ain’t your thing.”

Jack winced. “Not at all. I can tolerate hot water but it’s not that relaxing to me.” That wasn’t quite the truth; it was relaxing when he was in the bath with Pitch, being gently cleaned by him and held. But bathing alone wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Thought so. Then do whatever helps you relax the most. You’ll definitely want to lie down for a bit. And how about I make you a nice herbal tea? Chamomile should help with soreness, yeah?”

“Yeah, if you think it’ll help.” Jack could tell the other felt guilty and brought his face in to nuzzle his nose. “Don’t feel too bad, okay? I asked for this. And I had fun. It was just more intense than I expected, that’s all. I know you said you were rough but I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be quite like this.”

“No one ever does. Scared the dickens out of Toothiana first time we ever went at it, but ya know what, she’s a trooper. She grew to love it and even when I offered to take it easy, she told me to give her everything.” Bunny sighed wistfully. “I love that little sheila.”

Jack nodded. He could definitely see Toothiana being into that sort of intensity. He gazed up at the ceiling, admiring the lights above them. Their glow was soothing and he began to feel sleepy, especially with Bunny’s warm weight pressing on him like a blanket.

Then Bunny moved, hips wiggling back and forth, and he sighed. “Ah, there we go. Hold on, this might hurt a little…” He held Jack’s hip and then pulled out. There was a small twinge of pain but it wasn’t too bad. Jack immediately felt nauseous though as he felt the other’s cum flow out once he withdrew.

“I think we should have put down a towel,” Jack commented, squeezing his thighs together as he sat up.

Bunny was looking down at the blanket under them, ears flat. “Oh well. I’ll just need to wash this.” He looked back at Jack. “Would you like to get cleaned up? I have a personal spring you could use. Though, ah… maybe let me go first. Don’t want you freezing my water.”

Jack chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes. “Okay, kangaroo. Go get clean.”

Bunny gave him a playful shove and stood, walking down a side tunnel. Jack rolled onto his side facing away and sighed, resting an arm over his stomach. He had very mixed feelings about what just happened. He was satisfied and the experience had definitely been exciting, but it was just a little too quick, too uncomfortable. He had greatly preferred the way Pitch felt, how he had held him and talked to him. As much as Jack had liked certain things about Bunny’s touch… he couldn’t deny how much he would rather have Pitch.

Thinking about Bunny just didn’t elicit the same warm, happy feelings. He was glad to have Bunny as a friend, of course. But that was all he would ever be. Pitch… he felt something different for. Something new and scary but powerful. He didn’t know what else to call it but love. Jack didn’t want anyone else but him as his partner.

He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn’t really hear Bunny returning until he was right behind him and saying, “I’m done.”

Jack jumped a little and looked over his shoulder at him, seeing that his fur was damp. “Oh, okay. Be right back.” Jack stood and his legs shook, insides aching. He grabbed his staff and used it for support as he walked toward the side tunnel. Each step was accompanied by the feel of Bunny’s release trickling down his thighs and he grimaced at how much there was.

“Ya need help, mate?”

“I’m good, just a little sore.”

Bunny bounded along next to him. “You’re shaking. You sure you’re alright?”

“Yes,” Jack insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

Bunny looked unsure but stopped following him. “I’ll go make you that tea, then. See you in a bit.”

“Yeah, see you.” Jack watched him hop away and kept going. It wasn’t far to the spring; it was right next to Bunny’s bedroom. The cave he stepped into was perfectly round and grass covered the entire floor. There were bright flowers of every color of the rainbow growing in the cave as well and he even saw a few bees flitting between them. In the center was the spring, the crystal clear water gently rippling. A flat stone next to it held a few glass bottles that seemed to contain soaps. There were also white towels with flower motifs folded up and sitting near the spring as well.

Jack laid his staff down in the grass and then stepped into the water. It was lukewarm, which was quite bearable for him. He probably wouldn’t even need to cool it down. He waded in and then sank down, washing his stomach and thighs off and then rinsing off the sweat. He didn’t intend to wash his hair or anything this time, but he did take the caps off some of the nearby bottles, curiously smelling them. It all smelled like flowers. He set them down and dove completely underwater so he could rinse his hair out. He came back up and moved to lean against the side of the spring, sighing as he relaxed. He felt better now. He rubbed the insides of his thighs and then around to his backside, groaning a little. On top of being sore, he was exhausted. He needed a long rest.

He spent several minutes resting in the water, sending small spirals of frost along its surface, entertaining himself by freezing portions of it into cubes which he then whittled away at with his fingernails, forming different shapes before tossing them back into the water to eventually melt. He knew that as soon as he put weight back on his legs, he would be in pain. Usually he would call on the wind to help him float but he wasn’t sure he had the energy for that right now.

But maybe it was worth a shot.

He climbed into the grass on all fours and grabbed for a towel, kneeling there as he dried off. He set the towel down next to another used one and got his staff, leaning on it as he stood and mentally asking the wind to lift him as it always did. He floated upward and let out a breath of relief. He didn’t exactly need his staff to do this but it made him feel more balanced, so he held it tightly as he slowly rode the wind back toward the bedroom. He didn’t see Bunny around, so he settled down next to the cushion and began pulling his clothes on. He saw that the top blanket had been taken away and figured Bunny went to clean it.

Once dressed, he sank down and laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling. It was cozy here but it didn’t feel like home.

A few minutes passed and he heard approaching footsteps. He sat up as Bunny walked in, holding a ceramic teacup on a small plate. He sat down next to Jack and offered it to him.

“Thank you,” Jack said as he accepted it.

“No worries.” Bunny stayed next to him as he lifted the cup and curiously inhaled the steam rising from the top.

“I actually haven’t really drank much tea before,” Jack said. “This smells good, though.”

“It’s very good. Might be a little too hot, though…”

Jack channeled cold from his fingertips into the cup and the steam stopped rising. He lifted it to his lips and took a sip. It had a somewhat bitter, earthy flavor but also carried the hint of a taste like apples.

“How is it?” Bunny asked.

“A little bitter,” Jack admitted. “But good. Very unique.”

“Yeah, these sorts of teas take some getting used to. I could bring you honey if you’d like to sweeten it.”

Jack shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll drink it like it is. I kinda like it like this.” Bunny nodded. Jack noticed that he looked a little downhearted. “Are you okay?” he asked him.

Bunny let out a soft chuckle. “I’m right as rain, mate.”

“Your ears are a little droopy. You sure you’re okay?”

Bunny sighed and then said, “I’m worried that I went too hard on you. You weren’t ready for me, you didn’t know what you were agreeing to. And I hurt you.”

“What? Oh, come on…” Jack moved closer to him, leaning against him. “What more could you have told me? You said you were rough. I said I liked rough. It’s not your fault it was still more than I expected. Besides, I liked it!”

Bunny frowned. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, you can be honest-”

“I am being honest,” Jack insisted. “Listen, that was pretty intense. It kinda hurt. But it was exciting. It was a new experience for me and I don’t regret it. Hell, I might even want to do that again! Not any time soon, but eventually. I feel like I can really enjoy that sort of pace once I get used to it. So don’t feel bad, alright? I’ll be okay. It was fun and you seemed to be having fun too.”

Bunny laughed lightly, running a paw down the back of his neck. “I dunno, mate. Even when you started feeling warmer, I felt like I was sticking my dick in an ice pack. But other than the cold, you did feel pretty ace.”

Jack rested his head against Bunny’s arm as he took another drink. He felt so sleepy. “I’m glad. And I really did like you. That blowjob was really good.”

“I like to think I’m pretty talented at those.”

“I’ve never had one before so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was great.” Jack still made a mental note to ask Pitch for one some time. “And so was the rest. Really. So don’t feel bad about it. It’s all good.”

“Alright. I’m glad you had fun, then.”

They sat quietly together as Jack finished his tea. He was yawning by the time it was all gone, slumping more heavily against the other. Bunny took the cup and plate away and slid an arm around Jack, laying him back.

“Get some rest, little larrikin. I’ll be right back.” Bunny walked away.

Jack pulled a pillow over and rested his head on it, closing his eyes and quickly drifting off. He was only faintly aware of Bunny returning and whispering something indistinct to him. It didn’t fully register but he murmured back, “Yeah, sure.”

The other laid next to him but didn’t touch him, and Jack soon forgot he was even there as he fell asleep.


	9. The Truth Comes Out

When Jack woke up, he was a little disoriented. He looked around the cozy room in confusion, then down at the soft cushion he was laying on, nearly his entire upper body snuggled up in a pile of pillows. He shifted back and rubbed at his eyes, then remembered he was in the Warren. He didn’t see Bunnymund anywhere.

He sighed and flopped back down, wrapping his arms around his middle as his body ached. He wondered how long he was asleep. Without being able to see the sky, it was impossible to tell. He laid there for a bit, waiting for the discomfort to fade, but it never really went away. Instead he just got used to it, so he swung his legs off the cushion, bent down to get his staff, and got up. He chose to fly from the room, going into the main cavern and admiring the grass and flowers. It was incredible how sunlight flooded the place despite there being no access to the sky.

The Warren was so large that it took him a while to find Bunny, but eventually he found him near the magical river used to paint the eggs. He had set up an easel and was painting. Jack quietly hovered down behind him to watch. He was working on a landscape and Jack recognized the style. It was just like the paintings that had been in Bunny’s room. Those were all his work?

“Finally awake, are ya?” Bunny asked, taking Jack by surprise. Then Jack realized one of his ears had turned toward him.

“Yeah, uh. How long was I asleep?”

“About eight hours. I just left you to it, you needed it.”

“Oh wow. I guess you really wore me out.” Jack wasn't used to sleeping this often. Something about sex just really exhausted him, apparently.

“I told you I was good at breeding, mate.”

Jack laughed and the other laughed too. Bunny continued painting, the careful swipes of his brush creating pastel pink flowers that dotted the landscape.

“That looks great,” Jack said. “I kinda want to roll around in all that grass.”

“I’m sure you do. I bet you’d love burying it all under a layer of snow too, huh?”

Jack shook his head, then reconsidered and shrugged. “Maybe. But I’d still enjoy it like it is for a while.” He continued watching Bunny paint and Bunny didn’t really talk, seemingly focused on his work.

Then, after a few minutes, Bunny said, “So are you going to tell me who left those marks all over you?”

Jack awkwardly rubbed at a few of them through his hoodie, then said, “It’s pretty personal…”

“And you swear it was consensual?”

“Yeah. I wanted them to.”

“Hm.” Bunny rinsed his brush out and examined his paints, then began mixing a new color. Once he had made a blue so light it was almost white, he began painting clouds in the sky. “Sorry, mate. I’m just curious. You told me you’ve been alone and frustrated, but then I see those fresh bruises. A fella can’t help but wonder what the full story is.”

Jack hesitated. He kinda wanted to talk about his visits with Pitch. But he knew none of the others trusted him. Bunny was especially likely to react badly if Jack brought it up. “It’s complicated,” Jack said. “I’ll just say there’s someone I’ve… seen, a couple times. Who I really like, but they… don’t think we should rush into a relationship together. Since there could be better people for us out there.”

“Damn, that’s gotta sting.”

“It does. And I decided to go see if anyone else does make me feel the way they do, if I was just mistaking a general affection for someone after sex for, you know… love. Which probably sounds stupid, I know, but I don’t have any experience with this sort of stuff! I was alone for three hundred years! I’ve watched people, yeah, but I don’t…” Jack ran his hands through his hair, getting frustrated. “I don’t understand relationships like most people do, I gotta figure all this out now, and it sucks!”

Bunny stopped painting, turning and giving him a concerned look. “Jack… that’s why you slept with me? To see if you feel the same spark that you feel with that other person?”

Jack sighed and sank to sit on the ground, burying his face in his hands. “Yeah. I’m sorry, it was so selfish of me, I should have just told you the truth…”

Bunny sat next to him, patting his back. “Hey, c’mon, no worries. It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot. Love can be very hard, even for people who haven’t been alone. So, did you feel a spark with me?”

Jack lowered his hands but stared at the ground. “No. It felt nice, I liked being close to you, but it wasn’t the same. Everything feels warm and comfortable with this other person. Like everything feels better when I see them. I brought up the possibility of us being romantic partners. But they didn’t think we were ready for that. So I decided to go see if maybe there was anyone else for me, even if… if I don’t feel like there is.”

“Well, crikey, Jack. You said you’ve only seen them a couple times, that’s definitely too early to be talking about romance. Give it some time. Maybe they are the one for you but they don’t feel ready to take that step yet. But I can tell you’re attracted to this person. Maybe there could be someone else out there for you but you’ve already found this person. You don’t need to keep looking for others if you don’t want to.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. I really don’t want anyone else. I think I should go back and talk to them. Let them know I don't want to rush them. Although, we have known each other for a while. We’ve just slept together twice, is all. We’ve uh, interacted before that.”

“Really?” Bunny’s nose gave an interested twitch. “Now you really got me curious. I know you couldn’t be talking to any humans until recently. That just leaves spirits.”

Jack grew nervous. “Well, they uh. Are a spirit.”

“Mm. Not another Guardian, I assume?”

“No.”

“Didn’t think so. Hm, who would Jack Frost fancy…” Bunny rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “Is it another frost spirit?”

“No. I don’t even know anyone like me.”

“That’s probably for the best. Hm, opposites attract situation? Is it some fire elemental?”

Jack shook his head, smiling at the thought. “No.”

“Cupid? That portly cherub looks like a kinky cunt.”

“No, oh, God no.”

“Well come on then, give me a hint!”

Jack really didn’t want to admit to it. But if things got more serious with Pitch, the others would find out eventually. Especially if they begin working together. So Jack said, “He’s tall. Has an intimidating face when he’s angry but he looks very handsome when he’s happy.”

“So it’s a bloke. And tall, huh? Guess that explains why you told me you like people who are taller than you. Hm, intimidating but handsome…” Bunny gazed off across the river for a bit, then said, “Oh tell me you’re not dating the grim reaper.”

“The grim- what, no. Wait, there’s an actual grim reaper?”

“Oh yes. Charming bloke, he likes puns. Doesn’t talk to other spirits much, though. He’s more interested in the souls of the dead.”

“Huh. No, I’m not dating him.”

“If you were I’d be curious to know how you got his attention. Okay, let me think.” Bunny rested his chin on his hand. “Tall, intimidating, handsome… I need another hint.”

Jack’s thoughts went to Pitch’s most striking trait. “He has gold eyes.”

“Wow, gold eyes, sounds like a looker- wait.” Bunny’s eyes widened a bit. “Is this someone the other Guardians and I know?”

“Yeah.”

Bunny’s brows furrowed and he shook his head a bit in disbelief. “Mate, you must be pulling my leg. Surely you aren’t talking about… Pitch Black?”

Jack swallowed and braced for the worst. “I am.”

For a solid moment, Bunny just stared at him. The Warren seemed to grow unnaturally quiet. Then Bunny spoke, in a quiet voice that was somehow far scarier than when he was yelling. “You’re telling me you’ve been hanging out with the most dangerous of our enemies, the one who’s the biggest threat to children all over the world, who nearly made them all stop believing in us and would gladly do so again? Who nearly _killed you_? _That’s_ who you’re pining for? Are you mad?”

Jack groaned and stood up. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you wouldn’t take it well.”

Bunny stood up too, raising his voice. “Of course I wouldn’t take it well! You’ve been screwing around with Pitch Black?! What is wrong with you?! Why would you let that bloody oxygen thief anywhere near you?!”

“Because I care about him!” Jack yelled back. “He’s the only person who understands what I’ve been through! He knows what it’s like to be completely alone, unable to even be seen by most of the world! He wanted a friend more than anything, so I became his friend. Something the rest of you were too good to do, apparently.”

Bunny bristled. “The reason none of us are friends with that maniac is because he’s evil and seeks only to destroy everything we stand for. I’m not surprised you feel bad for him, you know how isolation feels, but think with your damn head. He deserves isolation. He cannot be allowed to roam free, that’s why we must keep fighting him, keep pushing him back to the shadows where he belongs!”

“We don’t need to fight him! His powers can help people-”

“Help people! Hah, yeah no! He’s a threat to all the hope and wonder in this world!”

“He doesn’t have to be! Fear isn’t bad! Fear, if used properly, keeps people safe from bad situations! And fear, mixed with fun, creates thrill! He can have a place in this world just like us, we just have to work with his talents instead of hating him for who he is!”

Bunny’s expression hardened. “You’re far too idealistic, Jack. You don’t know Pitch like we do. There are some things that he can never be forgiven for. And he will never use his powers for good. He thrives on terror. He's not happy just being a voice of caution, he wants to use fear to control people. To control everyone. And he will use you as means to that end if you let him.”

Jack shook his head. “You’re wrong. You haven’t seen the way he looks at me when we’re together. How he smiles, and tells me he’s so happy we’re friends. It’s what he’s wanted for so long and he has already agreed to leave the beliefs of children alone. He's not going to try and control them anymore. Maybe he'll still cause some nightmares here and there, but nothing harmful! He just wants to cause useful fears and work with me to make winter thrilling. And I trust him.”

“You’re making a huge mistake trusting him, the moment you let your guard down he will turn on you.”

“I’ve already let my guard down,” Jack said bluntly. “I’ve fallen asleep naked in his bed. I woke up to him making us breakfast.”

Bunny briefly seemed surprised, but his expression soon returned to anger. “He likely knows he’s too weak to take you down now. But if you let him work with you, and give him access to fresh fears, he’ll gain strength fast and will be able to strike you down before you ever expect it. You cannot give him that opportunity.”

“I won’t. Because he won’t do that. Even if he is weak, he could have killed me in my sleep. But he didn’t. Maybe you don’t think he’s capable of affection but he is. He cares about me. And I’m going to show all of you how great he can be if he has someone who believes in him.” Jack gripped his staff hard and floated up from the ground.

“I’m telling you, he’s going to betray you and you need to stop-”

Jack didn’t want to hear any more. He turned and shot off across the Warren, going toward the closest exit tunnel and shooting through it. It let him out in Australia and he hummed a bit as he checked out the area. Maybe this place could use some unexpected snowstorms…


	10. A Blissful Reunion

Jack ended up spending several days just losing himself to his work. He traveled the world, mostly sticking to the parts that were in winter, but sometimes he would flit up to the summer regions just to cause chilling drafts and even sometimes coat the grass with frost overnight that would melt with the first beams of sunlight. He put all his focus into what he was doing, not really giving himself time to think, just venting his emotions however he could. And eventually, much like his snowstorms always passed... the anger inside him passed too. Him being angry wasn't helping anything and he knew Bunny's words came from a place of concern, despite how harshly he had said them. It was time to just move on and stop letting it get to him. He knew the truth about his and Pitch's relationship and that was enough.

As he settled, he found himself gliding through the air and then landing back home near his pond. He sighed and sank onto a log, resting his head in his hands. He was even now still a little sore from his time with Bunny, but it wasn’t that bad. He hasn’t slept since then, though. He didn’t really need to but he kinda wanted to.

He heard the soft sound of footsteps in the grass behind him and turned just as Pitch was reaching out for him. Pitch froze and they held gazes for a moment, then Pitch chuckled and said, “I was going to scare you but that didn’t work out. How about a hug, instead?”

Jack smiled and held his arms out too, and Pitch moved in for a hug. Jack let out a sigh as he was enveloped in the other’s heat. It felt so nice just holding him like this and his stomach immediately did one of those familiar flips. He didn’t feel anything like this with Bunny.

“I felt a nip in the air and knew you had to be up here,” Pitch said. He moved to sit on the log next to Jack. “The weather has been especially bracing all over the place. It feels… angry, almost. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s just, well…” Jack rubbed his arm. “That day I left you. I went off on my own for a bit and ended up hanging out down in Florida, and got some sleep there since I was pretty tired when I left. Then Bunnymund ran into me. I thought about what you had said about there maybe being other people for us, and how I wanted to try sleeping with someone else… so I talked Bunny into sleeping with me.”

“Goodness, him? What a choice…”

“Yeah.” Jack winced a little. “We went back to the Warren to do it. And you know, it wasn’t terrible. He actually gave me a blowjob first, which was super nice. But I wanted to go all the way with him and we did and…” Jack exhaled as dull pain and pleasure flared through him at the memory. “Well, he fucks like a bunny.”

Pitch gave him a sympathetic look. “Hard and fast, I assume?”

“Yeah. It was rough. It felt good but it was really intense. I came but man, it made me sore. Especially since he knotted in me. Had to wait for that to go down before he could pull out…”

“Sounds like quite the ordeal. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I don’t regret it or anything. It was interesting. Might even want to try it again, just with more lube and preparation. But…” Jack sighed and leaned against Pitch, sliding his arms around him. “He didn’t make me feel like you do. With Bunny, it was just… physical pleasure. And I just see him as a friend. But you… you make me so happy, my heart races, I get warm all over, all these tingles in my chest… No one makes me feel like this but you. Maybe it’s not love. But whatever it is, I like it despite how it hurts. I know we haven’t been in this sort of relationship long. So I’m not going to rush things. I just wanted to tell you how I feel. And we can try dating if we’re ever both ready.”

Pitch stared at him for a moment. Then he lifted his hands and brought Jack’s face over, kissing him. Jack hadn’t realized how much he missed it until he felt the other’s lips against his. He tilted his head and kissed back, Pitch’s heat blazing through him. Their lips parted and the kiss deepened, tongues brushing together in a teasing motion that made both of them blush.

They leaned apart and Pitch said, “I’m sorry about what I said before. I didn’t mean to sound like I was rejecting you. I would love nothing more than for us, for this…” His hands found Jack’s and gripped them. “To be romantic. I just wanted you- for both of us, really, to be sure we love each other. That we weren’t mistaking a friendly affection for each other for something romantic. But I thought a lot about it while you were gone and it seems you thought about it too. And I think what we have is love.”

“So soon?” Jack whispered, breath quickening at Pitch's last statement. “I always thought it took time…”

“It doesn’t have to. Sometimes people do just click. And we have known each other for months now. Plenty of time for feelings to begin, for our fights and banters to cause little embers that easily grew into flames that day you came to visit me. We simply work together, Jack. I’ve had the odd fling through the eons but it has been a very long time since someone made me feel the way you do.” He gave Jack a serious look. “But you have to understand, love won’t always be easy. It takes work. But if you want this, for us to be together… we can be.”

Jack’s heart pounded. He gazed into Pitch’s eyes, his conversation with Bunny flashing through his mind. He looked hard for any hints of deceit, for even the smallest slip of a mask, but no. Pitch stared at him warmly and sincerely. What he was saying was real. He loved him. Jack looked down at his hands, grasped tenderly in Pitch’s, and slid their fingers together. Patterns of frost spiraled down Pitch’s hands and arms as he grew nervous and he looked back up. The other was still waiting for his answer.

“I want to be with you,” Jack said. “No matter what.”

Pitch kissed him again. They lingered together for several moments as they made out, and once they separated, they still sat with their foreheads together, not wanting to fully move apart. Jack wasn't sure he's ever felt this happy and he could tell the other was happy too. But there was still a little more to discuss.

“I also got into an argument with Bunny,” Jack said. “That’s why I’ve been… moodier, these past several days.”

“Ah, that would explain it. What did you argue about?”

“I ended up telling him that I was with someone else and was trying to figure out some feelings. I didn’t say I was sleeping with you at first, I didn’t want to freak him out. We talked about some things and then he started to wonder who I was with. I eventually just. Told him. Well, I gave him hints. And he figured it out. And got very mad that I was sleeping with the enemy.”

Pitch let out a whistle. “Oh it’s not surprising that he got pissed.”

“He kept talking about how you couldn’t be trusted and that you were just going to betray me as soon as you were stronger. I told him it wasn’t like that but he just wouldn’t listen. He doesn’t understand what we have. I get why he doesn’t trust you but I thought he would at least trust my judgment!”

“He probably thinks I brainwashed you with my dark seduction,” Pitch said jokingly. “As if I needed to do such a thing.” He stroked Jack’s cheek. “Your attraction to me is entirely yours and so is the choice to spend time with me. If the kangaroo doesn’t understand, that’s his problem.”

“Heh.” Jack leaned into Pitch’s palm. It felt so nice and he reached his own hand up just to press Pitch’s a little more firmly to him. “Bunny did have these really nice paws… but I missed your hands.”

Pitch began to smirk. “Did he complain about your cold at all?”

“He mentioned it a few times but he tolerated it. I don’t think he liked it though. His whole deal is spring, after all. He compared fucking me to sticking his dick in an ice pack.”

The comparison got an amused look out of the other. “It was very kind of him to push through and fuck you anyway.” Pitch pressed his other hand under the hem of Jack’s hoodie and lifted it a bit, and his expression grew hungry as he took in the bruises from the riding crop. They were just faded purple marks now but they were still obvious. “Oh I wish I could have seen these the next day.”

“Guess you’ll just have to give me more,” Jack replied.

Pitch smoothed his hoodie back down and said, “I would love to. But about the rabbit. Do you think he’ll tell the other Guardians about us?”

“Probably. I’m surprised none of them have been following me around. Unless they have and I just haven’t noticed.” Jack suspiciously examined the area.

“I really would prefer they stay out of our business.” Pitch pulled Jack close and ran his tongue up his throat, making him shudder. “Otherwise they’ll get to see some things they probably don’t want to.”

“I don’t know, maybe if they see us sleep together they’ll realize how genuine this is,” Jack replied, giving a small shiver of pleasure at the thought of being watched.

Pitch noticed and moved his hand between Jack’s legs, cupping his crotch. “Is that making you hard? Ohh it _is_! Naughty little one, do you like the thought of that? Hm?” Pitch’s teeth scraped against Jack’s throat. “You want me to fuck you up against a tree out here, where all the Guardians including Man in the Moon himself can see me claim you?”

Jack moaned, hearing his blood pulsing in his ears. It still amazed him how quickly and easily Pitch turned him on. He nodded, panting as his body grew hot.

His staff, which had been resting in his lap, slipped off and onto the ground as Pitch stood and lifted him up.

Pitch glanced back toward the nearby town. Night was falling and the odds of someone who could see Jack coming this way were low, but he still guided the other a little further into the woods before pinning him to a tree where they would both be out of sight.

“W-wait, are we really doing this?” Jack asked, looking around uneasily.

Pitch kissed his neck, pulling one of Jack’s legs up to drape it around his hip and grinding against him. “If you want to,” Pitch purred.

Jack bit his lip, eyes going up and briefly lingering on the Moon. Then he looked back at Pitch and nodded.

Pitch attacked his neck and he quickly began moaning for him, arching as the pain of the bites blended into pleasure. It radiated through his body and met with the blissful sensations from Pitch’s hips rutting against him, everything just feeling so good he was soon hard as a rock.

“Pitch, please,” he begged as his cock ached from being confined. He could feel Pitch’s erection straining too and wanted to go skin to skin with the other.

“Alright, relax.” Pitch slid an arm under Jack’s back to support him and then began undoing the front of his pants. “Needful thing. Here, just pull one leg out, we don’t need to fully undress.”

The idea of doing it partly clothed was surprisingly hot. Jack nodded and let his pants drop enough to pull one leg out. Pitch slid his robe a bit from his shoulders to open it up and then opened his fly, letting himself out.

“Did you bring lube?” Jack asked.

“Of course.” Pitch retrieved it from a pocket and opened it.

“So you were already horny before you even came to find me, huh?”

“I expected we might have some fun when we saw each other again. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Besides, the bottle stays in the shadow of my nightstand drawer meaning I could always just retrieve it from the shadow of my pocket.”

“Ohh. Nifty.”

“Indeed. One of those positive uses for my power, just like you wanted, hm?” Pitch coated his fingers and had Jack lift a leg back up. Then he began preparing him.

“Y-yeah. Nngh…” Jack was a little tender from his time with Bunny, but he gestured for Pitch to keep going. Each prod made him grunt but he forced himself to stay relaxed. He would feel so much better once Pitch was inside him.

Pitch took things slow and Jack began to feel very exposed out here. His spine tingled at the thought that they really might be watched. It was so dirty and it excited him.

Pitch’s finger was sliding in and out of him now, occasionally tapping his prostate just to see him squirm. He especially liked seeing the way Jack’s length would twitch whenever he played with him.

He moved through the second and third fingers more quickly and Jack could feel his need. Pitch pressed his fingers in deep and then just held them there for a bit, watching Jack’s hips rock against them, then kissed under his chin.

“You feel like you’re ready for me,” Pitch murmured.

“I am, please…”

Pitch pulled his fingers out. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight.”

Jack did as told and Pitch slid his hands down his thighs, then grasped under his knees and lifted him up. He stepped forward to pin him harder against the tree and a jolt of arousal went up Jack’s back at being picked fully up like this. With a firm motion, Pitch buried inside him.

“Ah!” It felt incredible being taken by Pitch again. He felt so perfect, pressing against his insides in all the right ways, and Jack wrapped his legs around him to encourage him in deeper. It was only moments before Pitch bottomed out and Jack trembled against him, a soft moan escaping his throat.

“Good boy.” Pitch ducked his head, lightly suckling on Jack’s throat as his hands went back to his hips, nails digging in. “I bet I feel so much better than that damn rabbit.”

Jack tilted his head back to offer up more skin, eyes falling shut as the other quickly settled into a rhythm. “Y-yeah,” he agreed breathlessly. “Even with him, I kept thinking about you.”

“Did you? Mm, now I'm imagining you pinned under him but with _my_ name on your lips... it's almost too much to bear.” Pitch slammed smoothly in and out of him, pushing him so hard against the tree that Jack could feel the bark dragging against his skin even through his hoodie. He moaned with each thrust, quickly falling into a blissful haze as he was rocked on that thick cock.

“Did you moan for him like you do for me?” Pitch murmured against his throat, before closing his lips around his pulse point and sucking again, this time with the intent to leave a bruise.

“A-ah...” Jack's toes curled as fresh pleasure burned through him, made only that much stronger by the realization that Pitch was trying to give him fresh marks. It was hard to focus on what he was being asked but he managed it. “I did moan for him, but not, ah...” He whimpered when Pitch gave his hips an especially sharp grind inside him. With no room to move his hips backward, he was forced to bear the full weight of that intimate, possessive movement. “I wasn't as loud as... as I am with you. Only you make me feel this good.”

Appeased, Pitch moved his mouth back and said, “Now that's what I like to hear. And I plan to make you feel even better.” Pitch lavished his neck with hot kisses and sharp bites, keeping him on edge and excited to see whether the next touch of his mouth would bring pleasure or pain. It was so much more intense than the last time they had sex and Jack was so turned on by all of it. His hands roamed up, finding Pitch’s hair and sinking into it. The attention to his throat paused and he felt Pitch lift his head.

Jack opened his eyes just as Pitch pressed their lips together. He eagerly responded to it, closing his eyes again and stroking Pitch’s hair as they kissed deeply. They moaned against each other’s lips and Jack felt the other’s nails begin scraping against his hips. He rolled his hips harder into the other’s thrusts and then let out a whimper at how amazing it felt. He loved having Pitch buried inside him, he was hyper aware that the other was going to the hilt each time he thrust and it was so good that he quickly reached his climax.

He did his best to hold it at bay, not wanting this to end so soon. But as Pitch steadily fucked him, he just couldn’t hold in his thoughts, and as soon as their lips separated, Jack moaned, “P-Pitch, I’m so close…”

“Are you? Already? You’re about to come here, outside, where anyone could see you?”

A shiver of trepidation went down Jack’s spine at the thought. “Yeah, a-ah, I want everyone to know I’m yours…”

“Then I will gladly show you off to whoever may be watching us. At the very least, I know Man in the Moon is getting a wonderful show. Wonder how he feels, seeing his precious newest Guardian being plowed by me, the personification of darkness itself.”

“Ohh…” Jack squirmed as his pleasure peaked, knowing he would be toppling over the edge any moment now but still trying to hold on. “Please, I’m gonna come…”

“You sound so precious when you’re close. I can tell you’re trying to hold back, but you don’t need to.” Pitch’s mouth went back to his throat, teeth grazing against it. “Let me see you come for me.”

Jack arched away from the tree as he finished, legs jerking hard against Pitch’s back to hold him deep inside. The rush of pleasure left him boneless and panting, slumping back against the trunk. He let out a quiet whimper when Pitch finished inside him, then opened his eyes and seeked out the other’s. Pitch seemed to be waiting for him to look at him. His eyes were warm and he soon closed the distance between them, kissing him gently.

Jack affectionately stroked his hair and down along his neck, before just holding his shoulders, holding their bodies close so he could soak in the warmth. Pitch pulled out of him and they sank onto the ground, Pitch quickly tidying up his own clothes and then helping Jack back into his pants.

“Shouldn’t we uh, clean up?” Jack asked, glancing at the mess on their fronts.

“I’m getting to it.” Pitch didn’t fully pull up Jack’s pants, instead leaving them down and then getting a cloth out of his robe. He mopped up the cum from both of them and folded the cloth, putting it away. Jack got the feeling he had teleported it away the moment it was out of sight. Pitch pulled Jack’s pants the rest of the way up and fastened them for him, then moved to lean against the tree, guiding Jack over to sit next to him.

“Mm.” Jack tiredly leaned against him, eyes drifting shut as Pitch began stroking his hair. “That was nice.”

“I would hope so. It was very attractive getting to watch your face as I made you come. You’re so expressive. And I simply cannot get enough of the way you moan.”

Jack’s cheeks burned. “Heh. Glad you like it.”

“There’s so much I like about you.” Pitch felt along his thigh. “Thank you for offering me your companionship. It’s been wonderful spending time with you.”

“It really has, though… we’ve met up like three times now and every time we’ve ended up having sex. Maybe we should do something else together.”

“Sex isn’t the only thing we’ve done together. We had a meal that one day. And a snowball fight on another.”

“Yeah, but still. I want to do other things with you.” Jack snuggled up closer. “We should watch a movie together or something.”

“How would you like to go about that? Shall we go to a drive in? A movie theater? Or are you thinking more along the lines of a movie at home?”

“It’d be nice to watch one with you at your place. We can just cuddle up on the couch with popcorn and not have to worry about anyone else.”

“Sounds nice. Though I don’t watch many movies. You might need to pick something out for us.”

Jack smiled. “I can think of a few things you’d probably like.” He carefully got up, stretching and rubbing his back. Then he looked around, expecting to see someone nearby, but it seemed they had been alone. Even so, having sex outside had been pretty hot.

Pitch walked a short distance away, retrieving Jack’s staff and returning it to him. Then he held out his hand. “Shall we go back to my place? We can have dinner together and talk more about your movie idea.”

Jack took his hand with a nod. “Deal.”


	11. Wining and Dining

Jack knew hardly anything about cooking.

But he insisted Pitch allow him to help with dinner anyway. So Pitch took down a recipe book and flipped through it, looking for something that wouldn’t be too complicated.

They ended up going with homemade potato soup. The preparation went mostly without mishap, though Jack did badly mangle the potatoes he was in charge of dicing up.

“I mean I’m sure it’s fine, right?” Jack said as Pitch silently looked at the pile of lumpy potato chunks. Some were outright squished.

Then Pitch sighed and rubbed between his eyes. “A drunk ape could have done a better job than that. But it’s all getting mixed together anyway so yes, I guess it’s fine.” He picked up the cutting board and dumped the pile into the pot with the rest of the ingredients.

“Man I’m a great cook,” Jack bragged.

“You didn’t even peel them,” Pitch pointed out.

“Was I supposed to?”

Pitch shrugged. “I happen to like the peels. They’re very nutritious. But they might give our soup a strange texture.”

“Ah well, I’m sure it’ll be fine. What now?”

“That was everything.” Pitch stirred the pot. “It’ll need to cook for a while and then once it’s done cooking, I’m still going to let it sit so it can thicken. So for now… would you care for a glass of wine?”

“Wine, huh? I haven’t had a lot of alcohol before. I mean I tried moonshine during the prohibition era to see what the big deal was and it was pretty nasty…”

“Moonshine is brutal. Wine is much more palatable. Would you like something sweet, or more sour? Or dry, perhaps?”

“Why would I want a dry drink, that doesn’t make sense.”

Pitch was silent for a moment, then he shook his head and went over to his wine rack. “You know what, I think you’ll like something sweet. So how about a strawberry wine?”

“Sure, I love strawberries.”

Pitch picked up the bottle and a corkscrew. He started to open it, then smirked and handed the items to Jack. “Would you like to open this for me?”

“Sure thing, I… uh, wait.” Jack squinted at the cork, then at the corkscrew. “I’ve never actually opened one of these.”

“You screw the corkscrew down through the cork and pull it out,” Pitch said.

“Right. Duh.” Jack wound the corkscrew deep into the cork, then grasped the handle and tugged. The cork didn’t budge. “Oh shit, that’s tight.”

“Yes, how would the wine stay fresh otherwise? You have to put a little muscle into it.”

Jack pulled harder. He still couldn’t get the cork out. “Okay, what the fuck, is there some trick to this?” He readjusted his grip, tucking the bottle firmly under an arm and hunching over it as he yanked at the corkscrew.

Pitch laughed at his efforts. “It takes some practice. Keep trying.”

Jack struggled with the bottle for a full minute, getting increasingly angrier at the cork’s refusal to come out. Finally he just set the bottle down on the counter and huffed. “Forget it. That thing’s stuck.”

Pitch smiled and took the bottle, gripping the handle of the corkscrew and smoothly pulling it at just the right angle that the cork wiggled up and out.

“Well, I loosened it for you,” Jack replied.

“Whatever you say.” Pitch got out two wine glasses and began filling them.

Jack raised a brow when Pitch stopped pouring only a little more than halfway up the glasses. “I think you can pour more than that.”

“I could but I won’t. Leaving space between the surface of the wine and the top of the glass allows aromas to collect inside, making the flavor richer.”

“Sounds pretentious.”

Pitch set the bottle aside and then picked up a glass. “Shut up and raise your glass, I’d like to make a toast.”

“What’d I tell ya? Pretentious.” Jack lifted his glass up though.

Pitch rolled his eyes but was clearly in good humor. “To our relationship! I don’t know where it might lead, but I hope it will be a long lasting and happy one.”

Jack’s chest grew fuzzy. “Yeah. To a good future. With the two of us working together, making winter fun while reminding people of its dangers, bringing beautiful cold _and_ dark wherever we go.”

“Cheers, Jack.” Pitch clinked his glass against Jack’s and Jack saw that he had started to blush. Then he was taking a drink. Jack took a drink too. It was sweet and tart, the flavor unique and rich. The fruity scent filled his nose and only made the taste better. He ended up drinking the entire glass.

They lowered their glasses and Pitch chuckled seeing that Jack’s was already empty.

“I take it you liked it, then?” Pitch asked.

“Oh yeah. This is really good.”

“Then have more.” Pitch poured him more.

“How much of this can I have? Isn’t wine expensive- oh wait you steal everything, never mind.”

“Actually, this wine wasn’t made by humans. I did buy this.”

“What? Who made it, then?”

“Satyrs. They’re excellent wine makers. All my wine comes from them.”

“Wow, satyrs! I hardly ever see those guys.”

“They don’t leave their realm often. Still, help yourself. Wine is meant to be drunk. I was never one for just keeping it to look at. I will warn you, though. Satyr wine is very strong. If we go half and half on this bottle, we will both likely be drunk within a few hours.”

“Sounds like a plan to me! I’ve never been drunk before.” Jack finished his second glass.

Pitch finished his first and then went to stir the soup. “Really? In that case, I may need to get you drunk. I’m curious to see how you’ll behave.”

“And I wanna see what you’re like. I bet it’s hilarious.”

“I doubt it. Drinking makes me drowsy. If I force myself to stay awake, I become clumsy. It’s not especially fun.”

“Sounds fun to me.”

Pitch wafted the smell of the soup toward his nose and considered it, then added a bit of pepper and kept stirring. “Of course it does.”

Jack casually poured himself a third glass. Then he refilled Pitch’s and waited for him to return.

Pitch put the lid back on the pot and walked over to get his glass. He gave it a small swirl as he inspected it and said, “You filled it too high.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m not a wine expert like you are. I’m just trying to drink it.” Jack began chugging it down. It didn’t taste any different as far as he was concerned.

“Uncultured swine,” Pitch teased.

“Highbrow jackass,” Jack replied.

They leveled each other with fake glares and then just laughed. Jack beamed at the other, already feeling warm from the alcohol in his stomach. He was so happy here. Everything was comfortable with Pitch. He wished he had reached out to him sooner.

In the time it took for the soup to finish cooking, Jack and Pitch got through the bottle of wine. The bottle was thrown away and Pitch went to turn off the stove, suggesting that Jack could grab a second bottle.

“But you said this one would get us drunk,” Jack said.

“It will. But we can still keep drinking. I think the occasion calls for it. We’re dating! Why not just let loose?”

“Can’t argue that.” Jack went through the bottles. He had no idea which ones he might like. He finally picked up a red wine and took it to the island where the corkscrew was left, attempting to open this bottle himself.

Pitch stepped toward him, hands out in an offer to do it, but Jack shook his head. He was determined to figure this out.

“I unfortunately have one of the hardest corkscrews to use,” Pitch said. “But here, let me show you the trick.” He walked behind Jack and reached around him, guiding his hands to where they needed to be. “Hold the bottle like this, you’ll want a good grip… and for the corkscrew, grip it like this. Give it a small wiggle, and…” He showed Jack the angle to pull from. With a grunt, Jack yanked and the cork slid partway up. “There! Now just take it the rest of the way out.”

“This is so annoying.” Jack shook the cork back and forth and then slipped it out.

“Yes but it’s worth it.”

They filled their glasses. Jack was surprised to find that this wine, while similar in color to the previous one, had a quite distinct flavor. It had more of a bitter undertone and he could tell it was made from grapes rather than strawberries. There was an oaky finish to it and other mild tastes he couldn’t put a name to. It was still sweet though, so he was okay with it.

They grabbed bowls of soup and also got small slices of bread, then went to the dining room with their food, the wine, and a pitcher of water that Pitch insisted on having.

“Trust me, we should stay hydrated,” Pitch said as they sat down. He poured himself a cup of water. “Hangovers are no joke.”

Jack hadn’t brought an extra cup and he still had wine left to drink. So he froze a portion of the water into a cube and then used his magic to lift it out, bringing it over to crunch on.

“You’re going to need more than that. But hey, if you get a headache, it’s your problem.” Pitch began digging into the soup.

Jack snorted. He hardly even seemed to get sick anymore, he doubted he would get a headache from drinking. He finished the ice cube and tried the soup. It was delicious. His badly diced potatoes didn’t detract from it at all. The soup had the perfect balance of potatoes with the cheese and green onions, and it wasn’t too runny nor had it grown too thick. It was just right.

“This is so good,” Jack said.

“Yes, I love recipes like this. Simple, yet delicious. You should try my beef stew some time.”

“I would love to.”

“It’ll be nice cooking for someone else. I know you don’t really need food, and to be honest neither do I, but I find that nothing brings people together in quite the same way as food.”

Jack nodded in agreement. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“Very true.”

They didn’t talk much more as they ate, enjoying the meal. Once the soup was gone, Jack began dabbing at the inside of his bowl with his bread. “That was so good,” he said.

“There’s plenty more,” Pitch said.

“Oh no, I’m pretty full. Especially with all this wine we’ve been drinking.”

“Yes, after this bottle we should stop and switch to water for the rest of the night. So, speaking of our night… what movie should we watch?”

Jack shoved the bread in his mouth. “Mm, lemme think…” He saw Pitch make a face and closed his mouth, swallowing his food. Then he continued, “You like horror movies?”

“I’ve caught glimpses of many of them, usually due to humans watching them and their fear catching my interest enough for me to take a look, but I don’t think I’ve seen one all the way through. Many seem like they try too hard.”

“Yeah, some of them rely a bit too much on jumpscares. But I think I know what you’d like! The Thing!”

“The Thing?”

“I know the title doesn’t sound impressive, but it’s great, trust me. I don’t want to spoil things but it takes place at a camp in Antarctica where a bunch of people are basically trapped for months, with no way to leave or call for help… and things start going very wrong as _something_ begins attacking them. It’s pretty scary.”

“Hm, takes place in Antarctica you say? Very well, we’ll give it a try.” Pitch stood, lifting his empty bowl and going back to the kitchen to wash it. Jack followed with his own dishes. “I have a television with a VCR in the living room, will that suffice?”

“VCR? Pitch, man, it’s 2012, everything’s on DVDs now!” When Pitch gave him an annoyed look, Jack continued, “Luckily for you, the movie is from the early eighties so I should be able to find a VHS copy.”

“Find,” Pitch chuckled. “You mean steal.” He took Jack’s dishes and began scrubbing them clean.

“Borrow,” Jack said.

“Right. It just so happens I have a collection of blank tapes, so we can make a copy and then return the original film to its rightful owner once we’re done.”

Jack grinned. “I like your style.”

“We had a lot of wine but if you feel safe to fly, you can go find the movie for us. Otherwise, I can teleport above ground and go get it.”

“You know, you should get Internet down here,” Jack said. “Then I could pirate all sorts of stuff for us.”

“I know very little about the Internet.”

“I’ve messed with it some, whenever I find computers left on with no one around. It’s great, you can find everything there!”

Pitch rinsed everything off and pulled his hands from the sink, drying them off on a nearby dish towel. “I’ve heard. So which of us is going up?”

“I’ll go,” Jack said. “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Just be careful flying,” Pitch said. “You probably shouldn’t get buzzed yet but since you’re not a regular drinker…”

“I’ll make it quick,” Jack said. He went to the nearest door and headed out.

He soared up through the tunnel that led to the surface and spent a few moments spinning in the air, considering his options, before shooting in the direction of a thrift store. He was almost certain to find a used copy there!

Then he hesitated, thinking that maybe he shouldn’t steal from a thrift store. Although… he did plan to return it, and a popular movie like this would no doubt be easily found elsewhere…

Jack sank down to float in front of the store as he considered. Then he waited for the door to open for a customer and slipped in behind them. He saw mostly adults and figured he wouldn’t be noticed, but still moved quickly through the store, going to find the shelves of movies. He browsed through the tapes, seeing a number of interesting titles, but not what he was after. He took a few tapes from their boxes to check the tops and sides, double-checking names.

Not finding the right one, he kept searching. Maybe he really wasn’t going to find it here. And his head was beginning to feel foggy, which he blamed on the wine. Jack needed to get more used to that stuff.

Jack knelt down to look through the bottom row of movies. He didn’t see The Thing. He sighed. “Of course I can’t find it now that I’m actually looking for it.” He straightened and left the store, carelessly tossing the door open and chuckling at the expression of confusion from someone who had been about to come in.

Jack took to the air, flying along until he found a different thrift store. This one was smaller and according to the sign on the door, would be closing soon. Jack went in and began searching through their movies. This would be so much easier if Pitch had a DVD player, he thought with some annoyance. He could think of several places that would have the movie on DVD.

It occurred to him that he wasn’t sure what the case for The Thing would even look like. He only got to watch it once and he hadn’t paid attention to the family when they took the tape out, only focusing on what they were doing once it was playing.

He rubbed at his eyes as everything in front of him seemed to go blurry for a moment. He really needed to get back to Pitch soon. If he didn’t find the right movie soon, he was just going to grab something else and go.

There was a perfectly good copy of Scream right here…

Then he glanced across a promising box and grabbed it, sliding it out. Looking at the cover, he saw that it was exactly what he was after. He grinned and slid the tape out, inspecting it closely, making sure it was in good shape. It looked okay. He hoped there was nothing wrong with the film.

He put it back in the box and looked around, then slid the box into the front pocket of his hoodie. He got up and quickly headed outside, calling a wind to lift him up. He felt a bit wobbly as he flew back to the tunnel leading to Pitch’s place, but he could handle it.

He dropped down through the tunnel and into the lair, heading to that familiar tower that Pitch called home. He went in through a window to land directly in the living room. He saw that Pitch was already relaxing on the couch, sipping at a glass of water. He smiled at Jack. “Oh good, you made it back. Did you find our entertainment for the evening?”

“Yep! Got it.” Jack leaned his staff against a cupboard and then walked over, showing him the movie. “Just don’t let me forget to return this.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I remind you to take it back to its owner. Now why don’t you put on that movie and come join me?”

Jack nodded and went over to the TV. Pitch had already turned it on and had flipped the source over to the VCR, so the screen was currently blank while waiting for a tape to be put in. Jack put the movie in and then hopped over the coffee table and onto the couch, bouncing a little.

Pitch rolled his eyes. “Was that necessary?”

“No but it was fun.”

Pitch looked like he wanted to make a smart remark, but then Jack cuddled up next to him and he relaxed, wrapping an arm around him. “You have way too much energy,” he said gently.

“Maybe you should have worked harder to tire me out earlier,” Jack replied.

Pitch’s fingers dug into his side. “Is that so? Pardon me, then. Next time I fuck you, I’ll make sure you pass out afterward.”

“Mm, you promise?” Jack leaned up to kiss him.

It was a slow, lingering sort of kiss. Then Pitch leaned away and said, “You taste like wine.”

“Hm, wonder why.”

“Speaking of which, I brought you water.” Pitch gestured to a cup on the table. “After all that drinking, we both need it.”

“I’m telling you, I don’t get headaches. But okay, fine.” Jack picked up the cup and took a drink.

Pitch glanced at the TV. There were ads playing before the movie. “How long do you think these advertisements will run?”

“Probably a few minutes,” Jack replied.

“Excellent. I’ll be right back.” Pitch got up and headed to the stairs, going down to the kitchen.

Jack shrugged and rested back, watching the ads. They were all for movies that would have come out around the same time that The Thing did. He was tempted to fast forward through them but decided against it.

Pitch soon returned, carrying a bowl of popcorn and some napkins. He sank onto the couch and Jack snuggled up next to him again, enjoying his warmth. It was such a reassuring, comfortable feeling.

“I do hope you like butter,” Pitch stated.

“Of course I do,” Jack said, grabbing a handful of popcorn. Then pausing as he felt just how much butter there was on it. “Oh man, this is like… drowning in butter.”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“...Not at all. Finally, someone who eats popcorn the right way!” Jack crammed the popcorn into his mouth and then grabbed one of the napkins to clean his hand off with.

Pitch chuckled. “You have good taste.”

When the ads were over and the movie started, Jack teasingly said, “You can hug me if you get scared.”

That made Pitch snort. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They settled in to watch.


	12. A Slow Dance

The credits were rolling and Jack was quite unnerved, a low but persistent fear radiating from him.

For a few moments, Pitch was quiet as he took in the events of the movie. Then he smirked and began rubbing Jack’s back, inhaling slowly as he took the opportunity to enjoy the taste of the other's fear. Jack gave it up so easily in this situation, Pitch had to wonder what other movies might frighten him enough to gain energy from.

“You can hug me if you’re scared,” Pitch said, mimicking Jack's tone from earlier.

“I’m not scared,” Jack replied immediately.

“Ah yes. My mistake. You must be shaking from the cold, then. Shall I light the fireplace?”

“No,” Jack said hastily. Pitch chuckled and Jack turned a bit to lean into his arms. They were already snuggling but now Jack’s face thumped against Pitch’s chest, head burrowing under his chin. “Okay, maybe it freaked me out a bit… which is stupid, I’ve seen it before, it shouldn’t still be scary.”

Pitch hummed and stroked Jack’s back. “Most people would be unable to get over their fear of something even after safely encountering it one time. Even if it was harmless, they go on being afraid, because they still have that instinct that perhaps the thing will hurt them next time. Fear is not rational. Besides…” He looked over at the screen. “It was a rather scary movie. Very nicely done, why I could almost feel everyone’s fears as if I was really there watching them.”

“You would have been well fed if you were actually there,” Jack joked.

“Indeed. So, how are you feeling?” Pitch gave Jack a curious look. The wine had kicked in during the movie and Pitch was definitely buzzed, so he knew Jack had to be too.

“Uh, about the movie?” Jack asked.

“No, I mean physically. It’s been plenty long enough for you to become drunk, considering how much we drank earlier. So, are you?”

“Ohh.” Jack pushed himself up a bit, getting his cup from the table and refilling it with water from the pitcher. “I’m not… sure.”

“You’re not sure?”

“I’ve never been drunk before.” Jack chilled the water to his preferred temperature and drank.

“Right. Well, do you feel lightheaded? Dizzy? Nauseous, maybe?”

Jack considered. He had certainly grown very tired during the movie but the tension and various scary moments had kept him on edge enough that he hadn’t fallen asleep. Now, as he kept sitting up, he could feel a sort of dizziness. Like it was taking effort just to hold himself upright. “Yeah,” he said. “I feel… a bit off center, I guess. Like I might just fall over.”

Pitch sat up too and kept an arm around him just in case. “You’re slurring a bit. You’re buzzed, at the least.”

“So this is what it’s like?” Jack put his cup down and looked around the room, then at Pitch, starting to grin. “Feels kinda nice.”

Pitch smiled back. “It is a nice feeling. For a little while, it feels like all your worries have simply disappeared.” He picked up the remote and hit the rewind button. Then he set it aside and leaned in to kiss his partner’s cheek.

Jack giggled, suddenly finding things hilarious. He really was here in Pitch’s home getting all cozy with him, wasn’t he? It was crazy. He kissed Pitch on the lips and then laid on him, yawning. “Mhm, I feel so calm…”

“You’re almost never calm. It’s nice to see.” Pitch briefly watched the TV as scenes flashed by in reverse. He smiled at the memory of some of them. “I think that movie gave me some ideas for nightmares I could give people…”

“Oh come on, don’t do that,” Jack muttered.

“Why?”

“Because… because uh.” Jack was silent for a moment, clearly needing to think about it. Then he sighed and said, “Never mind, do it actually, should be funny.”

“Nightmares about horrible, body-stealing alien abominations are funny?”

“They are when they happen to someone who’s not me,” Jack replied.

Pitch snickered. “Very true. I really enjoyed this movie. Thank you for picking it out.”

“No problem. But next time, you can pick.”

“I told you, I don’t know a lot of movies.”

“Then you know some. Just pick one, doesn’t matter, I’ll watch it.”

Pitch smiled as he thought about the movies he did know. “I’ll think about it and get back to you. Well…” He rolled his shoulders and sighed. “Perhaps we should go to bed.”

“You tired?” Jack asked.

“A bit. You definitely are.” Pitch drank some more water. He was feeling good now but he didn’t want a hangover.

“Yeah, a little…” Jack sat up again. “Let’s go to bed.”

Pitch got up, helping Jack up too. He turned off the TV but left the movie to continue rewinding. He swayed as he took a few steps from the couch, then laughed and held onto the arm of it for support. “Damn, you never realize how drunk you are until you stand up.”

“What do you mean, I feel fine… oh.” Jack suddenly swayed too and he shuffled his feet to steady himself, staring down as if he didn’t trust his own legs. Then he forced his gaze up, looking at Pitch. “It feels like the room is spinning.”

“I know, but it’s not. Focus. We need to go upstairs.”

“Going upstairs… ugh.” Going up stairs seemed like a monumental chore right now.

“I know but that’s where the bed is. Just be careful.” Though Pitch did lean from side to side as he walked, he was able to keep his balance as he headed to the staircase. He's had plenty of experience putting himself to bed after a night of drinking.

Jack started to follow him, then remembered his staff and went to get it. Once it was safely in hand, he went toward the stairs too. His vision was blurry. His senses all felt fuzzy and the floor seemed to tilt with each step.

Something in his mind blanked out for a moment and he suddenly found himself falling rather abruptly onto his knees. He dropped his staff as he careened forward, catching himself on his hands. A couple seconds passed before he registered that he had fallen and then he started laughing. He wasn’t sure why he was laughing. It was just really funny.

“Jack,” Pitch said with concern. He could tell Jack wasn’t hurt but it made it clear how drunk he really was. He leaned down and helped him up, returning his staff to him.

“Thanks,” Jack said, leaning on the staff for support. “It’s really hard to stand up.”

“I can see that. You’re drunker than I thought. But then, you did have a lot. And have never been drunk before. So it’s no surprise that you’re… like this.” Pitch held his hand as he started up the stairs, his other hand tightly gripping the rail.

Jack stumbled after him. “I felt fine when sitting… this is ridiculous.”

“I know. Welcome to the joys of drinking.”

“Hey, weren’t we gonna uh. Copy that movie?”

“We certainly will. But I’ll do that tomorrow. Right now we both need to get into bed before one of us pukes.”

“That can happen?” Jack gasped.

“Definitely. Getting drunk is literally poisoning yourself. And what does the body sometimes do to get rid of poison? It throws up.” Pitch managed to pull Jack up behind him and they stepped off the stairs into the bedroom. “But I think we might be okay.”

“Ohh. Man, poisoning ourselves. Wild. Alcohol is so crazy. But I get why it’s popular. This is. Wow.” Jack let go of Pitch’s hand and began jogging around the room, laughing at how everything spun around him. Some small part of him whispered that perhaps he wasn't coordinated enough to be running right now, but he didn't care, having fun was more important.

“Yes, it’s very fun. And I would love to spend more time getting to know drunk Jack. But I’m ready for bed.”

“Aw, okay.” Jack dropped his staff onto the desk and slipped his hoodie off, then spent a few moments just standing there and staring at his own hands as his vision blurred.

Pitch went to a dresser and stripped everything off, instead pulling on solid black pajama pants.

“Nice,” Jack said, checking him out.

His buzz making him feel playful, Pitch shook his hips a bit, eyes blatantly looking Jack up and down. “Not so bad yourself, Frost.”

Jack went over to him and took his hands, giggling and swinging them from side to side. “We don't really need to go to bed yet, do we?”

“We really should,” Pitch said patiently. Jack just looked at him with those big blue eyes and he found himself laughing. Jack was adorable.

“But I'm having fun!” Jack moved Pitch's hands a little harder, beginning to pull him into a slow side to side sway, as if they were dancing.

“You're definitely a fun drunk,” Pitch replied, stepping closer and pulling a hand away from Jack's so he could instead settle it on his hip. He guided him into an actual dance, spinning around with him.

Jack burst into laughter at that, his free hand going to Pitch's shoulder as he stepped carefully around in a circle with him. He's certainly danced through the air on his own but he had little experience dancing with other people. It was different having someone else's skin against his fingers. He gazed warmly up at the other, occasionally missing one of his steps, but Pitch just easily pulled him back into the rhythm.

“One day, when we're not both wasted, I'm going to teach you how to dance,” Pitch commented.

“Do I suck that bad?” Jack replied.

“You're doing fine right now. But I want to teach you how to dance better. How to waltz, how to swing dance... possibly even how to tango.” Pitch lifted his arm and spun Jack smoothly under it. The motion made Jack stumble and he briefly bent over, holding his stomach as it churned. Then he got a hold of himself and straightened, continuing to slow dance with the other.

“You like dancing, huh?” Jack asked.

“Very much. I've spent so long though having to dance by myself. It's nice to have a partner.”

“Can't believe a handsome guy like you hasn't had other spirits all over him,” Jack said. He was tired before but now he was really feeling sleepy, and he rested his head against Pitch's chest.

Pitch's arm wrapped around him. They weren't so much dancing as just stepping in a slow circle now, but it was nice. “Even among spirits who aren't affiliated with the Guardians, my reputation isn't the best. I frighten them. No one ever really wanted me around. So I've gotten into the habit of avoiding others.”

“That's so sad. You're not such a bad guy. Okay, yeah, you make people afraid. And that fear makes you stronger. But that's just who you are and I know you're capable of good. True, you've... done some pretty extreme stuff before, trying to spread your fear. But I understand what it's like to not be believed in, and you were just... trying to get what the Guardians had. People can sometimes do horrible things out of desperation. Maybe if someone had reached out to you before, had helped you find better ways to get believers... maybe it wouldn't have come to that. I don't know, I'm kinda rambling now, but I still think you're nicer than you think you are. It just takes someone being nice to you first.”

Pitch took a deep breath and stood still, both hands going to Jack's shoulders and leaning him back so he could look at him. Jack met his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Then Pitch knelt and kissed him. Jack tilted his head and kissed back, arms draping around Pitch's waist as he did. The other's mouth tasted sweet like wine and Jack let out a soft moan when Pitch kissed him deeper, tongue tracing over his lips and then slipping into his mouth, teasing over his palate.

It made Jack lightheaded and his knees went weak. He hardly knew what he was doing as he responded but it felt good. Then, as he was beginning to get bold with his own tongue, Pitch separated and just held him, face against the side of Jack's neck. He pressed a kiss there and said, “I really don't deserve you.”

“I'm not something that needs to be earned,” Jack replied.

Pitch took in a shaky breath and then started laughing. “That's more eloquent than I expected you to be sober, let alone drunk.”

“I guess I'm just full of surprises.”

“Yes. You certainly are.” Pitch straightened up, lifting Jack up with him. “Come, my love. Let's go to bed.”

 _My love_. Jack's stomach fluttered at the words, his whole body feeling light and tingly. Pitch carried him to bed and pulled the covers back, setting him down and then crawling in with him, pulling the covers back up.

Jack immediately snuggled up to him. It felt so natural already. Then Pitch draped an arm over him and held him even closer.

“Can you make sure I don’t have nightmares from that movie?” Jack asked.

“Why?” Pitch replied. “That’s no fun, I have to get fear to feed on somehow.”

“Scare other people with the Thing, just not me.”

“We’ll see.” Pitch sounded as tired as Jack felt but he was smiling.

Jack softly thumped his chest with a fist. “I mean it. No nightmares. You dick.”

“You're drunk off your ass, do you really think you're in a position to be making demands?”

“You'll listen,” Jack said with certainty. “You know how I know?” He tapped Pitch's nose. “Because you love me.”

Pitch groaned but he couldn't stop smiling. “I should have never told you I love you. Now you're going to hold it over me like a golden carrot.”

“Are golden carrots a thing?”

Pitch got comfortable and closed his eyes, feeling too tired to continue talking. “Goodnight, Jack.”

“No, I gotta know, like... okay I know carrots come in a lot of colors but are there really gold ones, or is it more like... a gold _covered_ carrot like rich people sometimes do to their food just to feel better than people who can't afford-”

“ _Goodnight_ , Jack,” Pitch repeated, pulling Jack's face against his chest to muffle him.

Jack huffed and licked him in response. Pitch didn't respond except to pat his hair as if humoring a rambunctious child. Jack shifted to lean his face into Pitch's neck instead and closed his eyes. “I love you,” he said quietly, carefully. For a moment he worried the other wouldn't say it back.

Then he heard Pitch say, no louder than a whisper, “I love you too.”

Jack smiled and finally let himself start falling asleep. The combination of Pitch's warmth and the alcohol had him dozing off fast, Pitch's words playing over and over in his head before his dreams claimed him.


	13. Making a Decision

Jack woke up feeling incredibly disoriented. He blinked his eyes open and groaned as pain flared in his temples, curling in on himself and moving closer to Pitch.

“Oh, you're awake.” Pitch stroked his hair. “How do you feel?”

“Bad,” Jack replied. The inside of his mouth felt dry and he licked at it, then grimaced at the unpleasant taste on his tongue. “My head hurts.”

“That's why I told you to drink water.”

“I did.”

“You clearly didn't drink enough. But ohh, I'm being a little harsh. It was several glasses of strong wine... perhaps the water wouldn't have helped anyway. How bad is the pain?”

“It's tolerable.” Jack pressed a hand to his head. “It's annoying, though.”

“Headaches definitely are. I have pain relief in the bathroom, would you like me to bring you some?”

“Uh... yeah. Yeah, if you don't mind.”

“I don't mind at all.” Pitch gently kissed his lips, then reached over to turn on a lamp near the bed. Jack squinted and then turned away as it made the pain worse. Pitch stood and grasped the curtain near the head of the four poster, pulling it over so it shielded Jack from some of the light. Then he went to the bathroom.

Jack sighed and looked up at the fabric roof of the bed, reflecting on last night. Everything was a little blurry but he remembered it all. The alcohol had made him giddy and clumsy, but he had liked the way it made him feel, even if he didn't feel great right now. He thought about the conversation he had with Pitch while dancing. The way Pitch had looked at him after he told him he didn't think he was so bad... there had been so much love in that look. But now that he was thinking about it, there had also been a hint of sadness and regret. Pitch had said he didn't deserve Jack. Jack was determined to prove that he did deserve love.

Pitch returned from the bathroom with a glass of water and a couple pills in his palm. He sat next to Jack and handed them over.

“This isn't like, super old school medicine, is it?” Jack asked as he took a sip of water to wet his lips. “Ya know, from when they used cocaine to cure everything?”

Pitch chuckled. “No, it's not. It's modern acetaminophen. It works for me so it should work for you too.”

“Oh good.” Jack tossed the pills into his mouth and washed them down.

“As if I would let you have coke anyway. I don't even want to _imagine_ what you'd be capable of if you were coked out. You wouldn't stop moving for a month.”

“Okay now that does make me want to try coke.”

“Do NOT.”

Jack smirked and kept drinking his water. “As if I'd know where to get coke anyway.”

“Hm. Hollywood, probably.”

Jack snorted. He finished the cup and set it aside. His headache didn't seem so bad now that he had some time to get used to it. Hopefully the medicine worked fast. “I have kinda wanted to try weed,” he said conversationally. “That seems popular.”

“I would be fine with that. I would enjoy seeing you mellowed out for once.”

“I'm sure you would.” Jack suddenly realized the absurdity of the discussion and laughed about it. “Oh man. Can't believe we're just sitting here together talking about drugs. And that... wow. We said we loved each other last night. We're actually...” Suddenly his heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness. He turned and threw his arms around Pitch's neck, hugging him. “We're dating!”

“Yes, a lot happened yesterday.” Pitch wrapped his arms around him, pulling him onto his lap as he hugged back.

“And you're sure it's not too soon?” Jack asked worriedly. “Like yeah we've known each other a while but we only became friends like super recently so is it okay for us to already considering ourselves dating?”

“Of course it's okay. If you want this, and I want this, then that's all that matters. And I do very much want it.” Pitch gazed into Jack's eyes. “You said yesterday that you want me too. And that was before we started drinking. I could tell you meant it.”

“I did. Sorry, I guess I'm still just nervous about all this. Things have changed so fast but it all feels... good? And right? Haha, it's nuts, like you're the Boogeyman and I'm a Guardian! And we're gonna work together, and you're still gonna scare people, but like in good ways, but oh man...” Jack ran a hand through his hair. “The others are so not gonna like this.”

“I imagine they won't. You did say that the rabbit was mad when he found out about us. Who can say how the others will react.”

“They have to know by now. I doubt Bunny would keep it from them. He's probably already told them everything and they're already figuring out a way to rescue me... I'm surprised they haven't come down here after us.” Jack glanced at a window as if the rest of the Guardians would suddenly arrive on cue.

But there was no sound or movement from outside and he looked back at Pitch, who seemed thoughtful.

“They might be too afraid to attempt to fight me here in my own lair,” Pitch said.

“Afraid? It's not so bad down here.” Jack thought about his first experience in Pitch's lair and then said, “Okay, maybe it's kinda scary. But they're the Guardians! And they can come down here together! If all four of them are together, what's there to be afraid of?”

“Because this is my home. I have an acute awareness of everything that happens within it. Even if the four of them stand together, I can easily call on the shadows to split them all apart, get them lost and disoriented, and pick them off one by one. They do not want to risk me separating them. No, if they confront me, it would likely be like it was before. Up on the surface, where they can more easily keep me in their sight. They might even prefer to do it during the day, where I would have less darkness to disappear into.”

Jack gazed toward the window again. “That makes sense. Hm, maybe we should go talk to them, then.”

“We?”

“Yeah, we. We're partners now, we should talk to them about this together. I'm sure they'll have questions for you too. Might as well let them ask while I'm standing there, right? I can make sure they don't hurt you.”

“Feeling protective, are we? That's so sweet.” Pitch playfully tickled his sides and Jack jumped, laughing and batting his hands away.

“Yeah, I'm protective, I know you can take care of yourself but these are the Guardians we're talking about. And they're all going to be at full power since millions of children believe in them right now. They could definitely hurt you.”

“I'm very aware of what they could do to me.” Pitch took Jack's hand. “But if you're there, perhaps they'll play nice.”

“That's what I'm hoping. So...” Jack got up, going to grab his hoodie and tug it on. “Let's go find them.”

“Ohh, very well.” Pitch stood too, getting dressed. “Can I at least grab a coffee before we go?”

“Sure. In fact, I want one too.” Jack grabbed his staff and followed Pitch to the stairs. “By the way, when we were both drunk last night and struggling to climb the stairs... why didn't you just teleport us? You know, with the shadows?”

Pitch froze, one hand on the rail as he thought about it. Then he shrugged and said, “I forgot,” and walked down.

“You... forgot. About your own powers?”

“I noticed you didn't try to use the wind to fly up so you forgot yours too.”

“I uh... hm.” Jack couldn't remember if he even considered doing that last night. “Well, maybe I just... didn't trust that I'd be able to balance. I fell just walking, imagine if I was flying.”

“Mhm. Sure.”

When they reached the living room level, Pitch stopped there and said, “I'm going to go ahead and start recording a copy of that movie. You can go ahead and get your coffee, I'll be there in a bit.”

Jack nodded and kept going, sliding the rest of the way down the rail to the dining room and leaping off, floating the rest of the way to the kitchen. He landed inside and went to the Keurig, checking out the various coffees and finally picking out a mocha.

While he waited for the machine to warm up, he explored the kitchen. He had looked inside the fridge and pantry while cooking with Pitch last night but hadn't lingered. Now he really took his time seeing what all Pitch had. There was a lot. There were foods from all over the world here. He found packages in several different languages and he looked them all over with wonder, wishing he could read them. The only language he was good at reading was English, though he could somewhat understand conversations that were held in Spanish, French, and a few others.

He checked on the Keurig and saw that it was ready. He placed a mug under it and clicked a button, watching as it began dispensing his coffee. Then he went to the fridge, rummaging through one of the drawers. “Oh man, look at all this cheese.”

“It pairs well with my wine,” Pitch said from the doorway.

Jack hastily closed the drawer and stood up, bumping the fridge shut with his hip and smiling innocently. “I wasn't snooping.”

“Of course you weren't. My home is your home now. You're free to rummage around as much as you wish.” Pitch came over to the fridge, moving Jack out of the way and opening it to grab a handful of grapes and then closing it once more.

“Heh, well... wait.” Jack stared at him. “My home?”

“Yes? That is, if you want to stay here. Though if you have a place of your own, I'll understand if you'd rather spend time there-”

“I don't have my own place,” Jack said. “I never have, I've always just stayed outside, so this...” He looked around the kitchen and then he looked up, thinking about the rooms above. Then he thought about the entire huge cavern that this tower was within, and he leaned against the counter, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. “You want to share all this. With me?”

Pitch smiled, catching on to how overwhelmed he was. “It's a lot of space for just one person. If you want to live here, you can. And it can be ours. Of course, you don't need to stay here all the time. I know how much you enjoy the wind and the open air. But whenever you want a warm place to sleep, or a bath, or a hot meal... you can return. Or, if we're out together... we can come home together. Back to comfort, a place where we can rest. How does that sound?”

Jack grinned. “It sounds amazing. Yeah, I'd love to live here.”

“Excellent. Now, I believe your coffee is done.” Pitch passed it to him and then began preparing his own mug.

“Oh, yeah.” Jack grimaced at how hot the cup was against his hand and quickly set it down, going to the fridge to get milk and pouring some into the mug. Then he mixed in some sugar and picked the mug up again. It was still uncomfortably hot, so he cooled it down before taking a sip.

They hung around in the kitchen while finishing their drinks. Jack was done first and he could tell Pitch was stalling. He couldn't really blame him. He wasn't looking forward to talking to the Guardians either.

“Do you think we'll need to round all the Guardians up?” Jack asked. “Or do you think they'll already be together right now?”

“Who can say. If Bunny has spread the news of our involvement, it would certainly get them together to talk about it. But you told him days ago. They may have already met up and then went their separate ways again.”

“Yeah. I might need to actually call a meeting. I could probably have North use that signal he's got. But that seems more like something that should only be used in a crisis.”

Pitch smirked. “They probably would consider this to be a crisis.”

“Tch, yeah. Probably.” Jack rolled his eyes and took his empty mug over to the sink to clean out and then set on the rack to dry.

“Maybe we could just talk to each of them individually,” Pitch said. “They may feel less threatened if we approach them in their own homes, where they'll have an advantage during a fight.”

“Maybe. But I do just kinda want to get it over with all at once.”

Pitch drained his coffee and turned to the sink to clean his mug. “Okay. Let's just go. I'll take us to the North Pole but I don't have the strength to put us inside the workshop, so we'll arrive outside. Still, assuming they let us through the front door, North will know how to call all the rest of the Guardians.”

Jack agreed. When Pitch was done washing out his mug, he dried his hands off and then slid his arm around Jack, holding him close. Shadows surrounded them and everything went silent as they teleported.


	14. A Chilly Meeting

When they arrived in the North Pole, Jack couldn't help but sigh happily and close his eyes as he enjoyed the brisk wind whipping around him, the feel of dense snow under his feet. Next to him, however, Pitch shivered. It was only for a moment before he acclimated, but he still let out a short curse. “How the hell is this place even colder than Antarctica? Come on, let's get inside.”

Jack looked around to get his bearings. The workshop was a huge complex but they were near the main building, standing behind a mound of snow that just barely hid them from the view of the two yetis guarding the doors. Jack stepped into view and waved. “Hey, guys! It's me, Jack Frost! Can I come in and see North?”

The yetis squinted at him and then shouted something to each other in their language. Jack wondered if they had been told to expect him.

He reached over to grab Pitch's sleeve, pulling him over so the yetis could see him too. “Oh yeah, I have a guest, I hope that's okay.”

This got alarmed shouts and the yetis pointed their spears at Pitch, stepping forward.

“I feel so welcomed,” Pitch said dryly.

“Guys, no!” Jack got between the yetis and Pitch, holding his arms out. He kept a tight grip on his staff and a few flurries shot out of it in warning. The yetis stopped, though they kept their spears pointed, grumbling to each other. Jack stayed where he was too. “He's not going to do anything. Please, we just want to talk to North.”

The yetis looked angry, but before they could say anything or make another move, the large doors behind them swung open and North strolled out. He walked casually enough but Jack didn't miss how both of his sabers hung from his belt.

“Now, now, is this how we treat guest?” North said to the yetis, patting their shoulders and moving them aside. “Back to your posts.” He looked at Jack, beaming. “Jack! Is very good to be seeing you!”

“Uh, is it?” Jack asked nervously, shooting glances at the yetis as they trudged back to their spots on either side of the doors.

“Of course! I am always happy to see you!” North lifted his gaze to Pitch and it briefly hardened, clear distaste flitting across his face. Then he looked back at Jack and brightened. “I won't lie, I am not so happy to see who you've brought with you. I assume this is not to be cheerful visit?”

“Probably not,” Jack replied. “Can we come inside? I mean I'm fine, but Pitch isn't exactly a winter spirit.”

“Not officially but I am quite tolerant of the cold,” Pitch said. Then he sneezed and grimaced as the cold wind began making his eyes water.

“Yes, please, come in.” North led the way inside. Jack felt Pitch walk up behind him and reached back to take his hand, holding it tightly as they walked through the busy workshop.

Everyone they passed stared at them. The yetis were suspicious and seemed to puff themselves up to look bigger as Pitch passed them. The elves were a little more frightful and tended to run away upon seeing Pitch, some hiding behind pillars so they could continue watching him while others just sprinted as far away as they could get without looking back.

“Ah, all this fear is a veritable buffet,” Pitch remarked.

“They are pretty scared,” Jack said, looking around. “You aren't even doing anything, yet... look at them.”

“I don't need to do anything. The anticipation of what I _might_ do is enough to terrify them. Ohh this really makes me long for the old days, when the mere glimpse of my _shadow_ was enough to strike screaming fear into people's hearts.” Pitch saw North glance dangerously back at him and smoothly said, “But they're the old days for a reason. I won't be conducting business like that anymore.”

“And just how do you plan to be conducting business?” North asked.

“I'll explain in due time. Perhaps somewhere quieter and with the other Guardians so I only need to explain myself once.”

North gave a curt nod. “How lucky for you, then. Because we were all just discussing you.” He pushed a door open and walked into a small meeting room. The table in the center had plates of treats on it and the chairs around it were all plush and comfortable. Festive decorations and lights were strung from the ceilings and walls. A large, currently unlit fireplace took up most of one of the walls. It was a delightful little room.

The three Guardians who immediately got up from their chairs and took on defensive stances were less delightful. And then North reached back to click the door shut, locking it.

Faster than Jack could react, North was grabbing him by the back of his hoodie and yanking him up and away from Pitch. Jack let go of his hand out of surprise and he was moved over to North's other side and pushed away. At the same time, Bunny, Sandy, and Toothiana all moved in to corner Pitch.

Pitch hurriedly stepped back only for his back to slam into the door. He threw his arms up, palms out in an appeasing gesture. He soon had the tip of a blade made of sand against his throat as Sandy floated directly in front of him. To Sandy's left, Bunny stood poised with his boomerangs out, and on the right, Toothiana had her fists up and ready to strike.

“Oh yes, this is going exactly as well as I anticipated,” Pitch said. He smiled at them. “But you might not want to do that.”

“Give us one good reason not to flay your hide from your bones,” Bunny sneered.

Pitch jerked his head over toward Jack. “Him.”

Before they could respond, Jack was tightening his grip on his staff and slamming it hard into the floor. Ice blasted out in a tidal wave and snow whipped through the air like a blizzard, immediately dropping the entire room to sub-zero temperatures. Bunny swore violently upon realizing his feet were frozen to the floor; Toothiana's teeth began chattering and she fluttered back before landing heavily on the ground, wings too heavy from the frost that was coating them to say aloft; and Sandy dropped his sword as the cold distracted him, making him shiver, and the sword fell apart into loose sand.

North seemed the least affected but even he was rubbing his hands together and seeming to huddle into himself against the cold. “J-Jack, what is meaning of-”

“Get away from him, all of you!” Jack hurried over to Pitch's side, pulling him away from the Guardians and then getting in front of him. “We came here to talk peacefully and this is how you treat us?”

“Peacefully?” Bunny spat, putting his boomerangs away so he could rub desperately at his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. He tried to tug his feet from the floor but the ice didn't even crack. “That's Pitch Black, remember? He doesn't do peaceful!”

“Perhaps we should reschedule this to another day,” Pitch said. “We've made a horrible impression already.”

“No, we're already here, we need to have this talk,” Jack said. He looked around the frozen room and frowned at how miserable the others looked being subjected to his cold. “If you promise not to attack Pitch, I'll unfreeze everything.”

“J-Jack, you really trust him?” Toothiana asked.

Jack nodded. “I do. I'll answer any questions you have, just promise you won't try to hurt him. Or capture him. I expect him to be left alone.”

Bunny looked like he wanted to protest and Sandy seemed unsure, but Toothiana glanced over at North and nodded to him. North said, “Please be unfreezing room, Jack. We will not touch Pitch. But you are to be explaining everything.”

“I will.” Jack gave his staff a wave. All of the ice lifted from the floor and from the Guardians in a flurry, which he sent on a wind toward the nearest window, which flew open for him. He directed all the ice out and had the wind close the window once he was done. The temperature rapidly went back up as heat from the rest of the building was allowed to flow back in. Even so, Jack went over to the room's fireplace, picking up the nearby tinder box and lighting a fire. “Here, guys. Come get warmed up.” He moved out of the way and everyone but him and Pitch crowded to the fireplace, holding out their hands and sighing as sensation crept back into their numbed nerves.

“That was awesome,” Pitch said, wrapping his arms around Jack and pulling him in for a hug.

“Since when do you say things like awesome?” Jack teased, slinging his arms around the other's neck and grinning at him.

Pitch's eyelids lowered. “Awesome. Adjective. Causing or inducing awe, or inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear. The word is not exactly modern.”

“Do you read dictionaries in your spare time?”

“I've read nearly every book in existence, eventually I did make my way to dictionaries, yes.”

Jack slid a hand ever so slightly under the collar of Pitch's robe. “So do you think I scared them?”

“You absolutely scared them. Very nice work.” Pitch nuzzled against Jack's nose.

“Eugh, okay, that's enough,” Bunny said. “I just ate.”

“Good for you,” Pitch replied, but he stepped back from Jack, smoothing down his robes. He smiled at how disgruntled Bunny looked, his fur messed up from all the ice that had frozen onto it.

Toothiana was sitting with her back to the flames, wings spread wide as she warmed them back up, and she was watching Jack and Pitch with an intense gaze. She didn't seem upset. She looked like she was studying them.

Sandy had warmed himself up enough to be comfortable and was standing away from the fireplace now, his posture slightly tense, but he didn't have any weapons out. He was watching Jack and Pitch curiously while also occasionally giving the other Guardians concerned looks.

“I apologize,” North said at last, turning to Jack and Pitch. “We feared for you, Jack. That is why we tried to separate Pitch from you. But I have realized that was very bad move.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jack replied. He sighed and messed with his hair. “Guys, I know why you'd be nervous. If Pitch was suddenly dating one of you, I'd be nervous too! But I promise he's not manipulating me or trying to take advantage of me. He's not hurting me. We're-”

“Lift your top, mate,” Bunny interrupted.

“What? What does that have to do with-”

Bunny approached him and caught the bottom of his hoodie with a claw, lifting it up. North let out a gasp and Toothiana's hands went to her mouth as they saw the faded bruises all over Jack's skin. An interrobang even popped up over Sandy's head and stayed for a good few seconds before the sand drifted away.

“He hit you,” Bunny stated.

“Ohh, for the love of... guys!” Jack hastily pushed his hoodie back down. He looked at each of the others and felt his cheeks grow warm as he started to blush, but he bluntly said, “Those are from a riding crop. Which Pitch used on me with my consent and the understanding that I could stop him at any time. I didn't want him to stop.” He fixed Bunny with a glare. “I already told you this.”

“Maybe he only talked you into letting him do that because he wanted to hurt you,” Bunny replied. “And you're just forgiving him because he got your rocks off.”

“Oh, you mean like how I forgave you for hurting me?” Jack fired back.

Bunny's ears went down and the others gave him a confused look.

“What does he mean by that?” Toothiana asked.

Bunny grimaced and turned away, running a paw over his face. “It's... nothing.”

“Oh, did he leave that part out? How much did he tell you guys?” Jack looked around expectantly.

Toothiana finally fluttered off the floor, hovering in the air as she glanced between Bunny and Jack. “He told us you had spent some time with him in the Warren and that you told him you were sleeping with Pitch. He told us about the argument the two of you had, and how you left and iced half of Australia. That was it, really...”

“That was it?” Jack broke into laughter and even Pitch chuckled knowingly. Bunny looked like he wanted to disappear into his own fur. “He didn't even tell you why I was with him that day? Oh this is great. I was there because I slept with him.”

Toothiana and North looked startled while Bunny grew embarrassed. Sandy's face was fairly neutral but his brows went up a little with intrigue.

“Yeah, we slept together,” Jack reiterated. “I was trying to figure some stuff out and I asked him if he would have sex with me, and he agreed. It was fun but he definitely hurt me far more than Pitch has in bed.”

“I didn't mean to hurt you!” Bunny shouted. “You said you could handle it!”

“And I did handle it. I told you I liked it, didn't I? But it did still hurt. It was just a consensual pain. Just like Pitch using his riding crop on me. He was honest with me about being a sadist. I chose to do that for him. Because he likes it and I wanted to see what it was like. And it really wasn't so bad.” Jack briefly rubbed one of the bruises. “I'd gladly do it again. Him hurting me like that isn't the same as him actually, _maliciously_ hurting me. He's my partner.”

“He's hurt you before,” Bunny growled. “Months ago. I saw the way he knocked you out of the sky. And we all saw the way he was gearing up to slice you in half with that scythe of his. You really think he wouldn't do that again?”

Jack glanced up at Pitch and saw guilt flicker across his expression. Jack started to answer, but Pitch got there first.

“Our relationship was different then,” Pitch said. “When I fought him then, I truly believed I no longer had a chance of being on good terms with him. He had refused my offer of friendship and I had assumed we would never be anything but enemies. I was ready to strike him down just like the rest of you. I will not make excuses for my actions. I was prepared to kill him. I would have mourned his loss, but I saw it as necessary. But that didn't come to pass. You all managed to stop me. The Sandman returned just in time to stop me from finishing Jack off. We all know what happened after that.” Pitch gently gripped Jack's shoulder. It was gentle enough that Jack knew he could have moved away and been allowed, but he chose to keep standing there with Pitch. His chest felt tight as he revisited the memories of that night.

Pitch continued, “I had a lot of time to think after the Nightmares dragged me back into my lair. I regretted the way I went about things. I had been very sure of myself as I was carrying out my plans and yet, despite my confidence, I had failed. I began to wish I had done things differently. And I wished I had been kinder in my approach to Jack. He had every reason to deny my offer of friendship. Even so, his rejection angered me. I let myself be vulnerable to him. I was open, genuine in telling him that I understood him, that I wanted a family just like him. For a hopeful, shining minute, I thought I was getting through. That he would join me and I wouldn't be alone anymore. But then he dismissed me. Can any of you imagine what that feels like? To be alone for what feels like your entire existence, and then find someone who is like you, who could stand with you... and being left by them too? Do any of you even know the weight of that despair?”

Jack inhaled as Pitch's fingers dug more strongly against his shoulder. Pitch was becoming agitated.

Yet his voice stayed smooth as he said, “You don't need to answer. I know none of you do. No one except Jack. So yes, I did go a little mad that day. My fury at all of you was overwhelming. But it subsided after you defeated me. I thought about everything that had happened again and again. I decided I would never lose control of myself like that again. I became cocky and impulsive. And it was my downfall.” His grip loosened and Jack leaned back against him. Pitch's voice softened. “We've fought since. You all have been getting in my way as I tried to more discreetly collect fears. But Jack... well, it seems that he doesn't hold a grudge. He treated our fights like a game. We would always greet each other as though we were old friends, then we would trade blows, he would insult me and I would insult him back, and we'd laugh. It always felt like we were dancing as we chased each other around, and he would always tire me out in the end, and I would grant him the win and teleport away... and I would already be looking forward to seeing him again.

“So really, this relationship of ours has happened very naturally. It may sound incredible, but we grew quite close during all those fights and it seemed Jack began to feel bad about me having to go home alone afterward. He sought me out in my lair. Not to fight, but to talk. We talked for a while. I won't go into all of it but it brought us even closer. We understood each other even more after that. He wanted to keep spending time with me. I proposed a little game. That he visit me and let me scare him to feed on his fear, and I wouldn't impose any unnecessary fears or nightmares on the children of the world. Whatever I take will be natural. He agreed. Things between us became very intimate after that. I'll spare you the saucy details but we've been close ever since. We both give each other the company we want. We don't have to be alone anymore now that we have each other.” Pitch's voice grew sharp and he looked at each of the Guardians in turn, who had listened in stunned silence to his story. “So I must ask you. Would you, the Guardians of hope, wonder, memories, and dreams... try to tear us away from each other and condemn us to loneliness once more?”

For a while, no one spoke. The only sounds were the flames crackling in the fireplace and the commotion of yetis building toys outside the room. The Guardians didn't seem to know what to say for themselves. Then Toothiana came forward, reaching out to gently cup Jack's cheek in a hand and gaze into his eyes. “Jack, is he lying about any of that?”

Jack shook his head. “No. I mean, I wasn't really there when he was in his lair after being defeated so I can't know for sure what he was thinking, but... I believe him. About everything he said. I know he wanted to hurt me before. But he doesn't anymore. We're leaving all that in the past and moving forward.” He gave her a heartfelt smile. “We're in love.”

“Oh,” she gasped quietly, the feathers ringing her face fanning out slightly. She looked up at Pitch as though to confirm, and whatever she saw in his eyes made her smile. She hovered back. “You really are in love.”

“What?” Bunny asked. “You're really gonna fall for that? Pitch is a master at manipulation, he could be lying to all of us.”

“But Jack wouldn't lie to us,” Toothiana said. She looked sternly over at Bunny. “And he isn't. I can see it in his eyes, he truly loves Pitch. And Pitch loves him too. You do remember how Jack leaped to defend him, right?”

“As if I could forget that.” Bunny shivered. “But how can we be so sure that Pitch isn't just... just playing the long con? Getting Jack to trust him, to fall in love with him... only to stab him in the back as soon as he's strong enough?”

“We cannot be knowing that,” North said quietly. “But we should also be trusting Jack to follow his heart. It has not led him astray before. I think this will be good for Pitch. Jack will guide him into bright future. And if it turns out this has all been a trick, well...” North beamed and slapped his hand down on Jack's shoulder. “We may not even need to be coming to Jack's aid! Jack would take Pitch down all on his own!”

Pitch couldn't disagree with that. “Yes. I can swear all day that I am being genuine with him, but in the end, I can't make any of you trust me. But I can assure you, if I ever do turn on him... I would not survive what he does to me in return.”

Jack gave him a concerned look. “Hey, come on, I would never-”

“Jack. Listen to me.” Pitch turned him toward him, holding his shoulders. “I promise I will never betray you. But if I ever break that promise, I do not expect you to withhold your anger. You would be justified in retaliating. I would want you to kill me for the crime of breaking your trust.”

Jack swallowed. Fear settled like an unpleasant weight in his stomach and he vaguely noticed the temperature in the room start dropping again. The others protested and moved closer to the fireplace but he didn't pay attention.

“Promise me that you will hold me accountable,” Pitch said seriously.

Jack exhaled shakily and let his staff drop from his hand, reaching up to grip both of Pitch's hands. He brought them toward his chest and said, “I don't think you will ever turn on me. But if you do, I won't kill you.” Pitch's brows furrowed and he started to reply, but Jack interrupted him. “No, listen. I won't kill you.” He stood on the tips of his toes to lean in closer. “But I will make you wish I had.”

Pitch let out a chuckle at that, expression growing sly. “Now that's a threat. You really are perfect.” He kissed him.

Jack smiled for a moment before kissing back, holding Pitch close. Then he pulled away, not wanting to get too caught up in that. They were still in a meeting, after all. He looked over at the others, who wore a variety of expressions.

North was hesitant but he was nodding and even smiling a little, stroking his beard and seeming to contemplate how Jack and Pitch looked together. Toothiana was flitting nervously back and forth but she smiled brightly when Jack looked at her. Sandy seemed lost in thought and he didn't smile, but he raised a single thumbs up, understanding in his eyes. Bunny had his arms crossed and he looked defeated.

“Alright, mate,” he said. “I still don't really get why you two hooked up but it ain't my business. But I swear, Pitch. You do anything to him, and I don't care if he kills you first... I'll mangle whatever's left of you.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Pitch replied. “You all are free to desecrate my corpse however you wish if Jack kills me.”

North laughed at that and then abruptly stopped, looking surprised at himself. He tucked his thumbs into his belt loops and whistled, then said, “This has been very tense conversation. Would any of you be caring for eh... hot cocoa?”

“I would love one,” Pitch said.

“Make that two,” Jack added, glad for a change of subject.

“Three,” Toothiana said.

Sandy brightened then and raised four fingers. Bunny sighed and looked like he was going to leave the room, but then he shrugged and said, “Make that five.”

“And I am six! I will be right back.” North unlocked the door and swept out.

Jack gently kicked his staff into the air and caught it, then said, “I think I'm gonna sit down.”

“I thought you'd never say so,” Pitch said. They went over to the table and took seats next to each other. Toothiana settled into the chair on Pitch's other side and when he gave her a surprised look, she only smiled.

“Out of curiosity, did that tooth I knocked out grow back?” she asked pleasantly.

Pitch winced at the phantom pain that twinged in his jaw at the reminder. He opened his mouth and pulled his bottom lip back to show her the spot. “It did not.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” she said in a tone that indicated she wasn't sorry at all.

“No matter. It was a good punch and quite deserved.” Pitch reached into his robe and then retrieved a quarter, spinning it between his fingers and then holding it up so the light gleamed off it. “I kept the quarter. As a reminder to never let my guard down... and to not mess with your fairies, of course.”

“I'm glad you learned your lesson.” Toothiana leaned back in her chair, very pleased with herself.

Bunny had spent some more time at the fireplace but finally he came over and sat next to Toothiana, helping himself to some of the treats on the table. “I wish you had punched him again,” he commented. “I wanted to give him a good thrashing for what he did to Easter.”

“We all did,” Toothiana said.

Sandy sat down too, pulling over a plate of cookies. He was quite at ease and Jack said, “Sandy, you were pretty on point with that sword earlier.”

Pitch groaned at the pun and Sandy mimed laughter, then created the sword again with his sand and gave it a few complicated twirls, ending with thrusting it forward as though he was stabbing something. Or perhaps, in his mind, someone.

“Very impressive,” Pitch said. “You know, I really didn't fight much with you these past months... perhaps we could spar some time. I'm a bit of a sword fighter myself and I would like to practice with another expert.”

Sandy looked flattered, giving his hand a small flick. A few symbols appeared above his head, showing a whip, a dumbbell, and then a silhouette of Pitch's profile.

“Oh I understand, you are more comfortable with your whips. You're quite proficient with them too, as you showed me when the children helped you return. Ah, speaking of which... no hard feelings about me turning you into nightmares, right?”

At that, Sandy abruptly threw a cookie across the table that hit Pitch right between the eyes. It didn't exactly hurt but the sting of it made him flinch back. He brushed the crumbs off and then sighed, slightly humiliated now. Especially when everyone else at the table laughed at him.

“It's amazing how you can say so much while saying so little,” Pitch remarked.

Sandy smiled and chose a fresh cookie, biting into it.

Everyone chatted for a bit, slowly becoming more relaxed with each other, and then North returned with a big tray of hot chocolate, passing mugs out to everyone and then sitting down with his own. Their chatting became more lively then, as Toothiana encouraged Jack to tell them his side of falling in love with Pitch.

He decided to start his tale with the day he first visited Pitch after one of their fights, and as Pitch squeezed his hand on top of the table and the others, including Bunny, smiled in response, he thought that this meeting had gone incredibly well.

Maybe Pitch didn't have everyone's full trust yet, but Jack had hope that it would come in time.


	15. Visiting a Friend

“That went pretty well,” Jack said as he walked with Pitch around one of the upper levels of the workshop.

“They were all going to attack me,” Pitch said. “You had to freeze them all to make them stop.”

“Yeah, but like… after that, when we actually talked to them. That went well.” Jack watched as a battery-powered toy airplane flew by. He casually iced one of the engines and watched it careen sideways and down through the center of the building, crashing on one of the levels below. There were several outraged shouts from the yetis.

“It definitely could have been worse.” Pitch peered over the rail at the commotion, then smirked and kept walking. “This is such a bright, loud place. I don’t know how North can stand it.”

“He’s used to it, I guess. I think it’s pretty fun here but it’d probably get annoying after a while. Still…” Jack went to the rail too, resting his arms on it and looking down. “It’d be cool to hang out here more. I wonder if North would let me help with the presents. I don’t know how to make all that stuff but I could wrap the toys, maybe.”

“And then you'd get distracted by the pretty wrapping paper and won’t get anything done,” Pitch teased.

“Hey, come on, I’m not that easily distracted.” Jack saw the yetis fix the plane and toss it back into the air. It gained height, flying in circles as it made its way up toward the highest level. Jack was tempted to ice it again.

Then Pitch reached out and grabbed one of the wings, flipping the plane upside-down. Unable to fly properly like that, it again lost control and crashed.

Jack and Pitch both ducked out of view, laughing as yetis shouted up at them.

“You’re as bad as I am,” Jack said.

“With all these toys they let fly around, they really must expect accidents sometimes,” Pitch replied.

They were still laughing when Toothiana fluttered up to them. “Oh, you’re still here?” she asked.

“Yeah, we just wanted to hang around a bit before going home,” Jack said. “Is North back to work?”

“Yes, he got back to it as soon as we got done talking.” Toothiana looked over the rail and noticed the yetis fixing the plane. “Bunny and Sandy already left.”

“Are you leaving too?” Jack asked.

“I should. My work never stops. But I like spending time here. There’s always something interesting to see.” Toothiana smiled as the battered airplane again took flight.

“It’s overwhelming being here,” Pitch muttered. “So much light and noise and movement. Whenever I try to take it all in at once, it's just too much.”

Toothiana turned to him with a concerned look. “Are you overstimulated? Would you like to move somewhere else?”

“I’m fine,” Pitch said quickly, sighing and covering his face for a moment. Jack turned him so his back was to the rail and then led him away a few steps. When Pitch opened his eyes, Jack was there smiling at him. Pitch immediately felt better seeing him rather than all the activity down below.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jack said. “We can go find some quiet town somewhere and see if we can have a little fun with your powers like we talked about.”

“That sounds good,” Pitch replied. He gave a curt nod to Toothiana. “I’ll likely see you again soon. Jack’s likely going to drag me to more Guardian get-togethers.”

“We usually like to all get together in the fall,” Toothiana said. “But you’re free to visit the Tooth Palace whenever you like. I really need to get going now.”

“See you,” Jack said. She hugged him, gave Pitch a pat on the shoulder, then flew away. She used a window to leave through and then was gone from sight.

“I would like to leave too,” Pitch said. “I wasn’t able to teleport in, but I can certainly teleport us out. Besides, I feel stronger with how afraid everyone was of me earlier.” He wrapped his arm around Jack’s waist as they walked to the closest shadow. “Shall we return home or do you want us to appear outside somewhere?”

“Let’s go to the Burgess town square and see what we can get up to from there.”

“Works for me.”

They sank into the shadows and emerged into the shadow of a statue in Burgess. Warmth surrounded them and Jack immediately sighed with disappointment at it being summer here. But he liked the town and its people, and he smiled as he looked around.

“So, you need to find some fear,” Jack said.

“There’s plenty already,” Pitch replied. “Nothing serious, but the people around here…” He inspected the people walking around in the park or on the sidewalks. “They all have fears. The fun is in bringing those fears to the surface.” His eyes landed on a couple sitting on a nearby bench and he smiled, going that way.

Jack followed, wondering what he had in mind. Pitch flexed his fingers and the shadows under the bench moved slightly. The couple didn’t seem to notice, too busy looking at each other. So Pitch loomed up behind them, his shadow falling over them. They grew tense, whipping around, but didn’t see anything.

“What was that?” one person asked.

“I don’t know… felt like someone was watching us,” the other replied.

“I don’t see anyone.”

“Me neither. Weird…”

Pitch kept standing there and Jack made a brief cool breeze come through just to give the two humans goosebumps. They grabbed each other’s hands and Jack wasn’t sure what Pitch was up to, but could tell he was staring at them intently.

Both humans suddenly scrambled to their feet, noticeably uneasy, and one said, “Let’s go back to my place. I… don’t feel comfortable here.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but being here just gives me a lot of bad memories.” The second person gripped their partner’s hand and they hurried off.

Jack watched them go and then turned to Pitch with an impressed look. “What exactly did you do to them?”

“Nothing much,” Pitch replied, looking smug. He went over to sit on the vacated bench and Jack sat next to him. “I simply reminded them both of the fears they have regarding their relationship and made it quite unbearable to be in public. That feeling will pass soon. Mm, it’s so easy sometimes to play on insecurities.”

“You’re pretty good at what you do.”

“As are you. The cold breeze was a nice touch.”

Jack looked up at the sky, watching clouds roll by. There were only a few. Otherwise it was a clear, sunny day. “I can’t wait until Halloween. We’re gonna have so much fun.”

“Absolutely. It’s my favorite time of year.” Pitch looked at the sky too for a few moments, then abruptly stood and turned to stare toward a nearby intersection.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“Hold on.” Pitch headed toward the road, walking briskly along the sidewalk until he was at the intersection and directing a stern look toward one of the oncoming cars. The car had been approaching the red light with an apparent intent to run it, but whatever they sensed from Pitch made them stop, brakes screeching as they did. A moment later, a semi truck drove through the intersection along with a few other cars.

Pitch sighed and turned away, shaking his head. “People can be so impatient.”

“If that guy had ran the light, he would have caused a serious accident,” Jack said. “And you… stopped him?”

“Well, it was his decision to decide to stop. But I did remind him of what could happen if he didn’t. I guess he decided to listen to my warning.” Pitch looked back at the cars. The driver he had stopped looked a bit shaken, aware of what he had avoided. The light turned green for his lane and he waited a moment before going.

“Hold on, you started walking over here before he even got to the intersection,” Jack said. “Can you see the future?”

“It’s not that simple. I get flashes, I suppose I could call them. Quick premonitions but nothing too solid or too far in advance. I get a sensation of what fear needs to be quickly impressed upon someone to warn them of danger, and I often don’t fully know what I’ve protected them from until the moment has passed.”

“Still, that’s super cool. You could save so many people.”

Pitch gave a small smile. “Sometimes, fear alone isn’t enough to save someone. But when it can, I do use it. I prefer people to stay alive, so they can fear me and eventually teach their kids about me, keeping the belief going.”

“Of course.” Jack watched the cars for a while, then said, “Hey, I want to help you get some actual believers. People who can see you.”

“I would like that but I would likely need to directly insert myself into nightmares again. I would need people to think that the Boogeyman really can get them. Otherwise I'm just a myth.”

“Hm... or I could just tell kids about you. Hey, what if we go visit Jamie? I bet I could get him to believe in you just by asking him to.”

“After what I did before, I highly doubt that child would want to see me again,” Pitch commented.

“Probably not, but I can just tell him you're good now. He's a kid, he'll believe it. They're all about redemption arcs or whatever.”

“When they're not about the villain getting killed, that is. I've seen enough Disney movies to know that the bad guys usually don't get a second chance.”

“Pitch, come on, this isn't a Disney movie. This is real life.”

“I'll go visit Jamie if you think it will help, but odds are he won't want anything to do with me.”

“C'mon, where's your sense of optimism?”

Pitch stared at him. “Optimism? Have you even met me?”

“Let's go.” Jack pulled Pitch's arm around his waist. “Hold on tight, I should be able to lift you.”

“Lift- wait, hold on-”

Jack called a strong wind over and leaped onto it, soaring into the air and dragging Pitch along with him. Pitch cursed and wrapped both arms around him, legs flailing for a moment before relaxing once it became apparent that Jack wouldn't drop him.

“A little warning would be appreciated next time,” Pitch huffed.

“You're not afraid of heights, are you?” Jack asked.

“Of course not. I have my own ways of flying. I still don't appreciate being yanked around.”

“Aw, I'm sorry. I'll make sure you're ready next time.” Jack held his staff out and to the side as he floated on the wind, and Pitch leaned snugly against his other side. He eventually dropped an arm, feeling secure enough to just have one around Jack.

“I really need to create a new Nightmare,” Pitch commented as he watched the ground shoot by underneath them. Jack had already lifted them above the houses. “Perhaps I'll do that later. Though I would prefer to have more power before I do anything like that.”

“Makes sense. Alright, we're here.” Jack slowed to a stop hovering over Jamie's house. Jamie was outside by himself, leaning up against the fence in the backyard and reading a book.

“So what do you suggest?” Pitch asked. “Surely you're not going to just drop right in-”

“I'm gonna drop right in.” Jack dove down. He slowed just a few feet above the ground and released Pitch with a little more force than he intended, making him grunt and stumble forward when his feet hit the ground. Pitch immediately grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him into a roll, both of them sprawling across the grass.

Jack burst into laughter and ended up on top, laying across Pitch's chest and laughing. He almost wanted to lean in for a kiss but he saw that Jamie had noticed him and was already scrambling up.

“Jack?” Jamie called.

“Yeah!” Jack hopped up and ran to greet him.

“I haven't seen you in forever!” Jamie slung his arms around Jack's waist, hugging him tight.

“It's only been about a month,” Jack chuckled.

“Yeah but I missed you! But, oh.” Jamie backed up and smiled, looking flustered. “I guess it's not winter so that's why.”

“Yeah, I haven't been doing much work around here,” Jack said. “It's winter in the southern hemisphere so that's where I've been. But I still like to come here sometimes.”

“I can't wait til it's winter again and you can play with us. I've told all my friends at school about you. A lot of them think it's silly, they think they're too old to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny and you... but some believe!”

“Oh I know, it makes me really happy that I have believers now.” Jack sank to sit in the grass and Jamie grabbed his book before sitting next to him. “Where's Sophie?”

“Mom took her to the doctor.”

“Oh no, is she okay?”

“She's great! It's just a check-up. Maybe some shots. Dad's home but I think he's taking a nap.”

“Ah, adults and their naps,” Jack said. He looked over at Pitch, who had shifted to lay there on the ground where Jack had left him. He was idly messing with the grass, but raised a brow when Jack looked at him. Jack looked back at Jamie. “Hey, remember when we fought Pitch Black?”

“The Boogeyman? Yeah, duh, I still have nightmares about it sometimes.”

Pitch gave a pleased grin at that. Jack ignored it. “Yeah, he's pretty good at causing nightmares. Well, you know how after we stopped him, you weren't able to see him anymore?”

“Oh yeah... I guess he did kinda disappear after the Sandman came back...”

“Yeah. What happened, exactly? Did you stop believing in him, or do you think it's just because you weren't afraid of him?”

“I dunno. I thought I still believed in him, but I definitely wasn't scared anymore.” Jamie's brows furrowed as he thought back to that night. “I think once we started playing later, I did kinda... forget about him.”

“Okay. Well, this might sound crazy, but me and Pitch are actually friends now.”

“No way. Really?” Jamie stared at him. Jack nodded and he said, “But he's so mean!”

“Terribly,” Pitch commented.

Jack shook his head. “He's not that bad. He can definitely be mean, but he was lonely for a pretty long time. Kinda ruined his social skills. But once you get to know him, he's pretty nice. He likes cooking and wine and dancing... he's a lot more than just a big scary Boogeyman.”

“He was giving everyone nightmares,” Jamie said, frowning.

“I know. But nightmares aren't that bad, are they? At least, as long as you have good dreams later, right?”

“I guess...”

“And when you have a nightmare, isn't it always nice for your parents to come and comfort you after?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah. I still wish I didn't get them, though.”

“I know. But it's natural. You know how I'm all about having fun? Well, all of us have what we call a center. It pretty much defines who you are, why you do the things you do. North- or well, Santa, his center is wonder. Bunny's is hope. Those feelings are what guide us through our lives. And Pitch's center is fear. He can't help that. What would you do if your purpose was to cause fear?”

Jamie looked unsure. He thought about it for a bit, fiddling with the pages of his book. “Well,” he said hesitantly. “I think I'd hate that. But if... if I could make people afraid, I guess I'd try to make them afraid of things that should be scary anyway? Or if someone's a real bad person, I'd really want to scare them. I'd try to scare them straight. Does that make me a bad person?”

Pitch made an approving noise and Jack said, “Not at all. And you're onto something. Fear doesn't have to be bad, it can actually help people. You tend to be afraid of things that can hurt you, right? Fear is an important emotion. And Pitch wants to use it in good ways. He doesn't want to just terrify everyone anymore. He's gonna use his powers to keep people safe. And okay, he might still mess with people sometimes. He'll give them nightmares or scare them when they're outside in the dark. But he's not going to do like he was before. No constant nightmares. No shadow creatures. He's not going to make anyone stop believing in me or the other Guardians.”

“It would be pretty cool if he was good,” Jamie admitted.

“Right? If he was nice, would you want to hang out with him?” Jack asked.

“Maybe.” Jamie was unsure but he didn't seem scared at the prospect.

“Cool. That's really cool, because he's actually here with me right now,” Jack said.

That got a startled reaction from Jamie. He quickly looked around, staring at each of the shadows in the area, breathing a little harder. “He is? Where?”

“And here I thought he wasn't afraid of me,” Pitch remarked.

Jack stood up, going over to sit next to Pitch, who sat up as well. Jack set a hand on his shoulder and said, “He's over here. Don't worry, he's not doing anything. He's just sitting here.”

“What...” Jamie stared in confusion for a few moments, then his eyes widened. “He is there!”

Pitch let a smile curl his lip upon being seen. He raised a hand in salute. “Hello, Jamie. It's been a while.”

“You're here, like actually here. The Boogeyman!” Jamie didn't get up but he did scoot back slightly.

“I thought you weren't afraid of me,” Pitch said.

“I'm not!” Jamie set his expression and then moved closer, his body language subdued as if he was approaching a wild animal. “I'm not afraid, Jack said you're good now.”

“As good as I can be.” Pitch stayed where he was, not moving as Jamie approached him. Then Jamie was sitting on his knees right in front of Jack and Pitch, looking at both of them with wonder.

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Jack said. He slid his hand from Pitch's shoulder around his back, pulling him sideways into a hug. “He's pretty nice once you get to know him.”

“I'm not nice,” Pitch scowled.

“He's still grumpy, though,” Jack whispered to Jamie. “I don't think he can help it.”

Jamie giggled and Pitch said, “I can hear you, you know.”

“Congratulations, you want a metal?” Jack retorted.

“I can't believe I'm hanging out with the Boogeyman!” Jamie exclaimed. He stared up into Pitch's face and said, “You don't seem as scary up close! You have pretty eyes.”

Pitch sighed and Jack said in a dreamy tone, “The prettiest eyes.”

Pitch shoved him in response and Jack laughed. Pitch then addressed Jamie. “I appreciate the compliment but I think Jack's eyes are far prettier than mine.”

Jack blushed and Jamie watched him for a few moments. Then he nodded in agreement. “They're nice too, yeah. Blue is my favorite color.”

“Aw, you're just saying that,” Jack said.

“No, really! I've always loved blue.”

“My eyes weren't always blue.” Jack briefly felt under his eyes as he revisited some old memories. “They were brown once. A lot like yours.”

“Whoa, why'd they change?”

It occurred to Jack he never told Jamie about his past or how he became the spirit he was today. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to tell the story, but then, Jamie seemed like he could handle it. Jack knew how intelligent and understanding kids could be. So he said, “They changed when I became Jack Frost, a little more than three hundred years ago. Before that, I was a human like you.”

“You were? What happened?”

Jack lowered his hand and sought out Pitch's. His chest felt a little warmer when Pitch linked their fingers together. Jamie briefly glanced at their hands, but he didn't say anything, looking back at Jack's face.

There were a few ways Jack could put this but he decided to just be straightforward. “I died,” he replied.

Jamie's eyes grew wide and Pitch said, “Mentioning death to a child? That's probably a no-no.”

“It's a part of life,” Jack said. “I don't believe in hiding things like that from kids.” He spoke more softly as he said, “I died. If you don't want to hear anything else about it, I don't have to talk about it.”

“No, I wanna know,” Jamie said. Though he was surprised, he didn't seem sad. It probably helped that he could see Jack still living and healthy in front of him.

“When I was human, I had a sister,” Jack said. “She was a few years younger than me and I liked to play pranks on her. I was a bit of a goofball. I still am but I was really silly back then. I liked having fun. I joked about whatever I could. I was told I had to grow up eventually. But I never believed that people had to stop having fun when they grew up. Anyway... my human name was Jackson Overland. I had brown hair and brown eyes. But other than that, I think I mostly looked like I do now. And when I was 17, my sister and I went ice skating on a nearby lake like we've done a million times before.”

Jamie reflexively glanced in the direction of the lake and then back to Jack, brows rising in question.

“Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “That same lake. I lived in Burgess a long time ago, way before it was the big town it is now. That's why I spend so much time around here. Even though I travel the world, I still consider this home.”

Jamie nodded and then prompted, “So, you went ice skating...?”

“We did. But I was a little nervous about the lake from the start. It had been a warm winter. But the ice was thick enough to ice skate on just a few weeks before that and we didn't think the days had been warm enough to make a difference. Then we actually got out there onto the ice. It got thinner closer to the center and of course that's where we tried to skate to. It's what we were used to. And while we were there, it began cracking. I knew my sister was scared but I didn't want to freak her out by getting scared too. So I calmly took my ice skates off. Standing on ice with your bare feet doesn't break it as easily as ice skates do. But then I had to get her back toward the edge of the lake where the ice was thicker. Even though I could see the ice breaking below her.” Jack swallowed, beginning to feel cold.

Pitch squeezed his hand harder, running his thumb against the back of it.

The touch was reassuring enough that Jack was able to continue. It seemed harder talking about it than just thinking about it. “I told her that she was going to be okay. That we should play a game like we always do. Hopscotch.” He smiled. “I had my shepherd's crook with me that day. You know I started learning how to shepherd sheep? Crazy, huh? But hey, I had to start making money to support the family somehow.” He laughed lightly, giving his staff a wave. “That's why I still have this. Anyway, I was trying to get her to relax but we could actually hear the ice breaking. I ended up just having to grab her and throw her. I used my crook to toss her away from the thin ice, back toward the side. It was safer there. But well, I guess I put a little too much pressure on the ice where I was standing. Because it broke underneath me. In saving her, I sacrificed myself.”

Jamie's hand went to his mouth and his eyes looked a little wet, but he didn't cry. “Oh no...”

“It wasn't such a bad way to go, honestly,” Jack said, laughing weakly. “I mean, the water was so cold I kinda went numb all over, I barely knew what was going on after I fell in. The last thing I clearly remember is how my sister yelled my name and tried to reach out for me, but she was too far away. And I wouldn't have wanted her to try to grab me anyway. I would have just pulled her down too. I'm okay with what happened. I saved her. That's all I wanted to do.”

“But... you drowned,” Jamie said with a frown. “That's horrible.”

“Yeah, but I'm okay now, I mean look, I'm totally fine. And hey, now I technically don't need to breathe, so I can't drown anymore.”

“And you became Jack Frost... after that?” Jamie asked.

Jack nodded. “Yep. I'm not quite sure how much time passed, but it was enough time for the lake to freeze over again. But my sacrifice was seen by the oldest Guardian of all. Man in the Moon.” Jack gestured toward the sky, even though Manny couldn't currently be seen. “He decided to bring me back. He blessed me with my powers. I guess he saw how selfless I was and how much I cared for children, that I was willing to give up my life for one. So yeah, when he brought me back...” He ran his hand through his hair. “My hair turned white and my eyes turned blue. Which is fine, I guess. I make it work.”

“You have a very distinct appearance,” Pitch said. “Anyone who looks at you can instantly tell what you represent. This suits you. Very unfortunate about your untimely death, though.”

Jack shrugged. “It happened. If I could go back and change it, I wouldn't.”

They sat there quietly for a bit, Jamie thinking over what he had been told. Then he said, “That's so sad, but I'm glad you saved your sister.” He gave a shy smile. “I think I'd do the same for Sophie.”

Jack smiled. “That's very sweet of you.”

“Um, if you don't mind me asking... do you uh.” Jamie looked away, nervously ripping up a few blades of grass and playing with them. “Do you remember the drowning part?”

“Sorta,” Jack said. “Why?”

“I just uh. What did that feel like?” Jamie stared at him with morbid curiosity. It was so forthright that Jack chuckled. “You don't have to say, it's just... well, I've never met someone who's drowned before.”

“I do so love the curiosity of children,” Pitch said.

Jack's hand went to his chest as he tried to remember. He had blacked out fast from the shock and cold, but he knew that there had been a horrid burning in his lungs, frigid water flooding through his mouth as he had gasped in terror trying to claw his way back to the surface. But the water had soaked his clothing, made his arms and legs heavy, the cold numbing him so quickly he had only managed a few desperate motions before his whole body felt like lead.

“Bad,” Jack said. “It hurt. It hurt a lot. Have you ever been drinking water and accidentally breathed in?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah, it feels bad and I have to cough a lot to make it better.”

“It makes you kinda panic, doesn't it? When you can feel that the water went down the wrong way?”

“Yeah.”

“And that's just inhaling a little bit of water. Taking a big breath of it? It's horrible. And there's no way to cough it back out when you're surrounded by water. You just end up sucking more in. But... once the pain passed, I felt... calm? I don't know, it feels like it all happened so fast and I passed out from shock, but before I did... for a moment, it almost seemed peaceful. Like, part of me just seemed to accept what was happening. That I was dying. It was okay because my sister was safe. Then everything went dark. And I woke up like this, getting pulled from the water by Manny, hearing him tell me my new name, and that was the only thing he said to me.” Jack gave another casual shrug, hoping he hadn't freaked Jamie out. “So yeah, uh. Drowning isn't a great way to go but I guess if you had to, best do it in cold water?”

Pitch pinched the bridge of his nose, but surprisingly, Jamie giggled at that. “Good to know, thanks.”

“Well, good going, Jack,” Pitch said. “The child now knows what drowning is like. I see a very specific nightmare on the horizon.”

Jamie gulped. “H-hey, I don't want to dream about that.”

“Unless you've taught yourself to lucid dream, it's not really up to you,” Pitch said with a grin. “The unconscious mind will show you whatever it wants. You can thank Jack for adding to the possibilities.”

Jamie grimaced but then made himself smile. “Well, at least nightmares aren't real. If I do dream about that I probably won't remember anyway. Okay, we should talk about something happy now!” He opened his book and flipped through it. “You wanna know what I found out about dragons?”

“Oh!” Jack was immediately interested. “Yeah, tell me!”

Jamie moved to sit next to him, leaning against him and plopping the open book onto his lap so all three of them could see it. “Okay, well to start, there's so many kinds! Wyverns and lindwyrms and ampi- amph...”

“Amphipteres,” Pitch said.

“Yeah! They can all be so different too, like some have feathers, some have scales, some don't even have wings!” Jamie launched into explanation about all the dragon types, showing them pictures as he did, and Jack and Pitch sat there and politely listened, only occasionally speaking to ask questions but mostly letting Jamie talk.

Pitch decided that maybe he could get used to being nice to kids.


	16. A Darker Side

Jack was very aware of how high Pitch’s spirits were as they left Jamie’s yard, but Jack waited until they were a good distance away before prodding the other in the ribs and saying, “You were enjoying that, weren’t you?”

“Enjoying what?” Pitch asked, huffing and rubbing his side even though Jack hadn’t poked him hard enough to hurt.

“Hanging out with Jamie! You talk a big game about how much you like to scare kids but turns out you’re happy just talking to them, huh?”

“I can like both,” Pitch replied. “Besides, it was nice being seen by someone. And I could still feel a subdued fear coming off of him in my presence which was quite nice.”

“What was he scared of?”

“It was very nonspecific. Just a general fear that I may try to scare him, I suppose. Which is always amusing. When people are scared of the possibility of getting scared. It’s much more common in children but I occasionally feel it from older humans, especially when I happen upon them watching a horror movie.”

Jack shook his head. “Well, just so long as Jamie wasn’t making himself sit there while terrified of you.”

“Oh no, it was nothing of the sort, believe me. I wouldn’t have stayed if he was terrified. That’s not what I’m supposed to be doing anymore, you know.”

“True but it’s still pretty soon after we made that agreement. I’m expecting you to slip up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I don’t mean it in a bad way, it’s just that I know you’ve done things one way for a pretty long time, so switching to only scaring people when there’s a good reason for it, or in nightmares, well… I’m sure there’s a learning curve to that, right?”

Pitch shrugged. “I suppose so. But I imagine I’ll adjust easily enough.”

“Mhm. How many ways did you think of to scare Jamie while we were hanging out with him?”

“Dozens. Many taking advantage of his ability to see me. But I didn’t act on them, did I?”

It was Jack’s turn to shrug. “Fair enough.”

They wandered the town for a while. Pitch didn’t seem to see anyone worth scaring but he was content to be outside and Jack liked having his company. They held hands after a while, each comforted by the other’s temperature.

Sometimes they would pass someone that got Pitch’s attention, and he would look knowingly at them and then look back at Jack, commenting on whatever fears he had sensed. Though sometimes he kept it private, stating that some fears were best left to the people they belonged to. Jack found it interesting that he seemed to have a moral code when it came to what he revealed of people’s fears.

It occurred to Jack that he almost never spent this much time at once just walking around. Usually he rode on the wind. But walking with Pitch was nice. And he liked seeing the town from this perspective. He somewhat wished the people walking by could see him, but that didn’t change. He and Pitch were invisible to them and occasionally a person would unknowingly go right through them, making them briefly wince and grasp their chests as it caused a sensation almost like heartburn. But they both put up with it.

Sometimes they peered in through shop windows or stopped to watch traffic or even sit on a bench to watch the people going by. But then they would continue walking, chatting lightly about whatever came to mind. Things were cozy between them.

They stayed out so late that dusk began to fall. Pitch raised his eyes to the setting sun and then said, “I hardly noticed the time. Perhaps we should go home?”

“I’m not tired,” Jack said.

“I can wear you out when we get back.”

Jack was intrigued but wasn't in a rush, so he said, “Maybe later, but I think I kinda want to keep walking for a bit longer. I love dusk.”

“As do I. Well, I’m in no hurry to get inside. We can continue walking. Just let me know when you’re ready to head home.”

It still felt nice hearing Pitch refer to the tower as their home. Burgess had always felt like home for him despite how often he traveled, but now he had a specific place to come back to. A bed that he could actually call his. He was sure he would still find himself sleeping in trees from time to time, but being able to curl up next to someone in bed was something he’s never had before and it was a little bittersweet how much he craved it now that he had it. He wished he could have had it sooner.

The number of pedestrians decreased as it got darker. There was still a fair amount of traffic though, especially as Jack and Pitch meandered through the downtown area. For a town that seemed so small from the air, there was a lot of ground to cover while walking.

A young lady moving at a slow, distracted pace swept past Jack and Pitch on their right, keeping close to the buildings and mostly avoiding passing through them, though one of her arms did go through Pitch’s. He brushed it off, but then his nostrils flared and he came to a complete halt. Jack stopped too, looking at him curiously. “What is it?”

“I need a moment.” Pitch sighed and raised a hand to his eyes, seeming to compose himself, but Jack could see anger flit across his features. Then he lowered his hand and glanced back at the person who had passed, before murmuring, “That poor woman. I apologize, sometimes when I encounter especially powerful fears, it can take me by surprise. As creative as I can be, sometimes humans do downright cruel things to each other that I would never dream of, and encountering the fear of such things is almost like a slap to the face.”

“Oh, damn.” Jack looked back at the lady too, concerned. “What has happened to her?”

“Her situation is… ongoing. I feel it would be inappropriate for me to reveal the details. But she is carrying a potent fear. I can still sense her.”

“Is she being abused?” Jack asked in a hushed tone.

Pitch didn’t answer but his expression was enough. He kept walking but Jack let go of his hand, spinning around. He easily jumped into the air.

“You can go ahead, I'm going to follow her and make sure she's alright.”

Pitch stared up at him, turning to follow him as he drifted after the lady. “She's not a child, why are you concerned?”

“It doesn't matter how old she is. If I can stop someone from being hurt, I'm going to. I've done it before. I've been doing it ever since I realized just how precise my powers could be. Since I realized that being invisible to humans could be a benefit. Just... I'm going to go help her. I'll be okay. I'll see you later, alright?”

Pitch wasn't sure but he could see from the look in Jack's eyes that this was something he felt passionately about. So he agreed and let him go. “I'm going back home, then. Stay safe.”

“Yeah. I will.” Jack swooped down and pressed a kiss to Pitch's lips, then took off toward the person and followed her.

Pitch was tempted to follow too, wanting to help, or at least wanting to see what Jack had in mind for the person that the lady was terrified of. But he got the feeling this was something Jack preferred to do on his own. Pitch stepped off the sidewalk and into the first alleyway he saw, slipping through a shadow to teleport back home.

When he arrived, he spent a bit of time tidying up, but there wasn't much that needed to be fixed. He made the bed and sat on it for a bit, thinking about the meeting at the North Pole earlier and how well it had gone. He felt a deep satisfaction that Jack was willing to fight back against the other Guardians just to protect him. As powerful as they were, they were easily subdued by Jack's strength. Sometimes Pitch wondered just how much power Jack truly possessed.

He got up and went back to the living room, approaching the side of the room that possessed several tall bookshelves stacked with books. He hasn't exactly counted lately but he was sure he owned thousands, collected over the many years of his life. His fingers brushed along the spines as he glanced across titles. They were mostly organized by when he had gotten them, his oldest books to the left while they got newer going toward the right. Though he of course kept all the books in a particular series in the same place and sometimes even made sure he kept the same author's books together.

He would likely want to go to bed soon and didn't expect Jack to be gone for too long. So he settled on a Stephen King short story collection, removing it from the shelf and going over to the plush armchair near the books, sinking onto it. He tugged his boots off and then stretched out his legs, getting comfortable and flipping the book open to the index, perusing the story titles. Despite being short stories, many of them were still fairly long. He decided to flip to “The Jaunt” and settled in to read.

Pitch was midway through the story when Jack gracefully flew in through a window and landed, giving a little hop and then skipping his way over to Pitch once he saw him. “I'm back!”

“That didn't take long,” Pitch said. He didn't lift his eyes at first. There had been something in Jack's expression earlier that spoke of malicious intent, a desire to do very serious harm to whoever had caused that woman to be so afraid. Pitch almost expected to look up to see Jack covered in blood.

“Yeah, well... she was heading home, she lived right nearby in an apartment. I followed her in and as soon as she walked inside, her drunk asshole boyfriend tried to hurt her. But don't worry. He won't be able to do it again.”

Pitch finally looked up. Jack looked no different. There was no blood, his hair was playfully tousled but not anymore than usual, his expression was bright. Though there was something very smug to the curve of his lips. Pitch raised his brows. “What did you do to him? Tell me you didn't leave ice all over that poor woman's home.”

“Nah, nothing like that, that would have been pretty obvious wouldn't it? Nope, it just so happens that Megan's abuser suffered a sudden brain aneurysm and died before paramedics could arrive. She was horrified but once she had a moment to think about it, I'm pretty sure she was relieved. She was so scared of him, Pitch. I don't know what you saw in her fears but I'm pretty sure she was afraid that he would kill her if she ever tried to leave him. Now she doesn't have to worry about that.”

Pitch inhaled slowly and closed the book, not bothering to bookmark it. He's read the story plenty of times before. He set it aside on the nearby table and gave Jack an appraising look. “An aneurysm.”

“Yeah.” Jack leaned on his staff, still looking as playful as always. “They're pretty tragic, you know? And they can happen without any warning, to people who thought they were totally healthy. It just takes a blood vessel being under a little too much strain, the wall of it becoming a bit too weak, and suddenly it pops and floods the brain with blood. The shock of it can kill so quickly, you practically have to already be in a hospital to survive that sort of thing.” His eyes glinted with something dark. “And a shard of ice spontaneously growing inside a vessel would definitely make one pop, wouldn't you say?”

“You're _terrifying_ ,” Pitch breathed, but he was very much impressed. A little flustered, even. He never knew Jack had that sort of capability, that he could kill without a shred of remorse. Had he smiled like that when he did it?

“Sometimes I flood the lungs,” Jack said conversationally, catching the interest in Pitch's gaze. He leaned down to set his staff on the floor and then climbed into the chair, straddling Pitch and smoothing the collar of his robe down. “Sometimes I grow a spear of ice inside someone's heart and cause a fatal heart attack. All depends on what I feel like they deserve, honestly. You should see the things I do to child abusers especially.” He watched his hands for a few moments and then flicked his eyes up to Pitch's, gaze smoldering. “Does this little hobby of mine scare you?”

“On the contrary.” Pitch slid his hands down Jack's sides and settled them on his hips. “I find you even more attractive for it. In some ways, your darkness runs even deeper than mine does.”

“Well, winter is pretty unforgiving.” Jack brushed his lips against Pitch's cheek. “The season probably kills more people than any other. It's not all snowball fights and holidays. It's dangerous. So... I have a little of that danger in me too.”

“A little?” Pitch teased, turning his face to brush their lips together but not fully kissing him yet.

Jack gave his hips a wiggle and rested his arms around Pitch's neck, playing with his hair. Delight shone from his blue eyes. “Maybe a lot. It's a part of myself I'm not really able to show around the others. I think it scares them sometimes to think about what I'm capable of. But not you, huh?”

“Definitely not. Though now I wonder...” Pitch's hands moved, going from Jack's hips around to his ass, giving it a squeeze. “Just how much blood lust is hiding behind those seemingly innocent eyes of yours?”

Jack didn't respond at first, instead pressing his hips down and angling himself to grind against Pitch's crotch. The pressure made Pitch moan, fingers clenching. Then Jack whispered, “Probably a lot more than would make the rest of the Guardians comfortable. But I keep it in. I save it until I can use it to defend someone. The rest of the time, I vent it out through blizzards and subzero temperatures. Sometimes I just find a remote forest somewhere and let loose. I have plenty of ways of dealing with it.”

“Mm.” Pitch slid his arms fully around Jack's waist and pulled him in for a tight hug, sighing out at the coolness of him while Jack hummed in appreciation of his warmth. “There is so much more to you than I ever could have dreamed of. I wish we could have gotten together much sooner.”

“Yeah, well. You never paid much attention to me until I started hanging around with the Guardians.”

“I suppose not. I regret that now. Oh, if only I could have been there the day you emerged from that lake. We could have been so happy with each other's company. But there's no point obsessing over the past, hm? We're together now. And until you get tired of me, I don't plan on ever letting you go.”

Jack's heart fluttered. “I won't let you go either.” He pressed their lips fully together. Pitch seemed like he had been waiting for that. He tilted his head and opened his mouth, inviting Jack closer, but Jack took his time, wanting to explore. He closed his lips over Pitch's bottom one, just holding for a moment, enjoying the heat of him, getting used to how he felt. His skin was so soft here. Jack parted his lips but only to move to Pitch's top, suckling on it. He felt a few puffs of air, the rumble of Pitch's chest, and realized he was chuckling.

“So sweet,” Pitch cooed. Jack scoffed but didn't deny it. He was feeling pretty romantic. He let go of Pitch's lip and kissed him deeper, lapping his tongue across his teeth and then going inside, wanting to bask in his heat. Pitch yielded to him with a soft moan and Jack's pants grew tight. So far, Pitch has been the one in control when they got intimate. But now Jack was the one holding him down and leading, and feeling Pitch submit to him was a turn on he didn't know he had. He still had so much to learn about his body, his kinks.

With hope, he would have plenty of time to do so.

Jack dropped his hands to Pitch's chest, pushing him back into the chair and getting up a bit higher on his knees to give himself leverage, wondering how he would respond to that. Pitch's only reaction was to seat Jack back into his lap, pressing up against him. He didn't protest the push at all.

 _I can't believe it,_ Jack thought with elation as he kept kissing him, both of them beginning to pant now as their bodies heated up, their hearts racing. _He's letting me lead. Ohh, the things I want to do to him..._

Their lips separated and Jack licked his lips, watching Pitch until the other opened his eyes and looked back at him. His pupils were already blown. Jack lightly pressed his hips down and could feel firmness underneath him.

“Turned on already?” Jack asked, voice a bit raspy.

Pitch blinked lazily and smiled at him, stroking a palm over his behind. “How can I not be with such a fine young man kissing me like that?”

“What was that you said earlier, about wearing me out when we get home?” Jack said, slipping Pitch's robe down from his shoulders slightly to expose more skin and leaning in to kiss his collar. “What would you say to me wearing you out instead?”

“I would say that I don't think you have the stamina for that,” Pitch replied. He reached into a pocket and took out their lube, setting it gently on the table next to them while he smirked. “But that I'm eager to see you try.”

Jack kissed up to Pitch's neck and sucked over his jugular, feeling a responding shiver go down the other's body. He released and soothed his tongue over the spot, knowing it was sensitive, feeling Pitch's chest rise as his breathing hitched. Encouraged, Jack bit down. A jolt went through Pitch strong enough for Jack to feel, the other letting out a moan through gritted teeth.

“Hey, come on,” Jack said, dragging the flat of his tongue over the teeth marks. He hadn't broken the skin but he could see a rapidly forming flush. He moved up a little higher, nose pressing under Pitch's jaw. “Let me hear you.” He bit him again.

“ _Jack_ ,” Pitch gasped, fingers briefly tightening on Jack's waist. He had run his hands under his hoodie and now his nails dragged into skin as Jack sucked a hickey onto his throat. Pitch's eyes fell shut and his mouth opened as he moaned again, sinking further back into his chair.

Jack almost wanted to bite harder, see just what Pitch's blood tasted like, but in the end he contented himself with leaving a blotchy bruise on this throat. He gently lifted his teeth and licked the spot, hips rocking down as he did. He could have purred at the sensation of Pitch lifting to meet him.

“I didn't think you would give in to me like this,” Jack commented, sitting back and tugging his hoodie off, letting it fall to the floor.

Pitch's eyes drifted open and then gave him an appreciative once-over, fingers sliding up his back and massaging in slow circles as they went. “While I do enjoy taking a more dominant role, I have no qualms about being led. If you want me to be in charge, we can do that. If you want me to submit, I can do that too. I'm, oh how do the kids put it these days... a switch.”

“Mm. I like the sound of that.” Jack lowered his hands to Pitch's pants, teasing him but not undoing the fly quite yet. “Are you also versatile? Like, do you like to both top and bottom?”

“Yes. Honestly, Jack...” Pitch chuckled and slid his fingers along the back of Jack's head, carding through his hair and then pulling him close to murmur against his lips, “I just like fucking. Now are you going to stop teasing me or am I going to have to beg?”

“I think you could stand to beg some more,” Jack replied, aware of how his voice had gone breathier with arousal. He pulled Pitch's pants open and slipped a hand in, placing his palm over his semi hard cock. He didn't wrap his fingers around it or try to take it out, instead just resting on it, waiting to see how the other would respond. For a few moments, Pitch kept playing with his hair, leaning his forehead against Jack's, the rest of his body holding very still in anticipation. Then, when Jack didn't move further, Pitch's brows pulled together slightly.

“It's not a feral kitten that needs to be tamed by being held,” he said dryly.

Jack burst into laughter at that. He slid his hand down a little, just enough so that Pitch twitched, the dryness of their skin causing just enough friction for it to edge into discomfort. But Jack's senses were also on alert for signs of pleasure and he got them. The hitch of Pitch's breath. The way his hips shifted into the touch. Jack moved his hand underneath and pressed Pitch's tip up against the fabric of his pants, hearing him hiss lightly, but he still didn't try to get away. “Maybe I just like to see you take this,” Jack commented. He turned his wrist, swiping his thumb along the other's slit, pleased with how he squirmed underneath him, moaning shakily. “I like to see you just sit here and let me do what I want with you.”

“Goodness,” Pitch exhaled. His hands dropped from Jack's hair and rested on his shoulders, their eyes meeting. “If killing someone brings out your dom side, perhaps you need to do it more often.”

Jack kissed him. “You can have this side of me whenever you want it.”

“With how you've been with me up until this point, I had taken you for someone who preferred to always submit. Which is not a bad thing. But I'm glad you're comfortable and confident enough to show me this aspect of yourself. I'm going to cherish it.”

Jack had to pause for a moment just to enjoy the warmth that blossomed in his chest, the happy flutters in his stomach. “You're such a sap,” he said. He made up for the pause by beginning to move his hand along Pitch's length, keeping his grip light so his skin didn't catch. But that, along with the pressure from still being confined in his pants, was enough to have Pitch moaning softly under his breath, head tilting back.

Yet Pitch somehow found the frame of mind for words. “I am simply... honest with my feelings. If that makes me a sap, then fine.”

“Mm, it's alright...” Jack pressed their lips back together, just wanting to feel the other's face against his. “You're my sap.”

“Lucky me.”

Jack's wrist was starting to ache from the uncomfortable angle and his own dick was pretty hard in his pants now, almost hard enough to hurt where he had moved to press it into Pitch's thigh. He grunted with frustration and reluctantly pulled his hand back, getting to his feet. Pitch looked forward again and watched with rapt attention as Jack dropped his pants and stepped out of them. He kicked them aside and climbed back into Pitch's lap, picking up the lube and giving it to him. “Here. Prepare me.”

Pitch glanced at the bottle and then inspected him, lips slightly pursed. Then he smiled and said, “Wouldn't you like to learn how to open yourself up? You haven't done that for me yet.”

“I'm not really sure how it works,” Jack admitted. “I mean, you're the one with all the experience, you're probably way better at it than I would be...”

“I have experience but you're the one who feels it. So you'll know when to push and when it hurts too much. So.” Pitch opened Jack's fingers and pressed the bottle into them, a fire to his gaze. “Prepare yourself.” Sensing Jack's hesitation, the uptick in worry, he continued, “I can guide you.”

Jack nodded and opened the bottle. He was still feeling confident about this overall, he just wasn't sure about this part.

“I was almost expecting you to want to go inside me this time,” Pitch said casually as he watched Jack pour a small drop onto his index finger and then rub it with his thumb, testing how it felt.

Jack blushed. “I do want to do that one day. Maybe even soon. But right now, I want you inside me but I want to be on top. Is that okay?”

“More than okay. That sounds _wonderful_.”

“Man. Is there _anything_ you wouldn't get off to?” Jack asked, pouring a more generous amount of lube onto his fingers and setting the bottle aside. He wasn't fully expecting an answer but he could see Pitch's eyes flick briefly to the side as he considered, no doubt running through a mental checklist. Then his eyes went back to him and he offered a wry smile.

“I wouldn't appreciate being pissed on.”

“God.” Jack broke into laughter again. His shoulders shook with it and Pitch laughed too, loud and free. Jack liked that way more than when he just chuckled under his breath. “Well that's fine, I don't have any intentions of doing that anyway. I know some people are into it, that's their business, but I'd uh... rather not.”

“Agreed. Now are you going to stick your fingers up your ass or not, because I'm not letting you ride me dry.”

Jack huffed. “Here I am trying to have an open discussion with you about your kinks and all you're worried about is getting laid?”

“Excuse me, who was the one who jumped in my lap in the first place?” Pitch moved a hand to one of Jack's thighs, patting it and then easing it to the side, making Jack spread his legs wider. “I'll tell you what. You start working one finger in, I'll tell you a little more about what kinks I don't have. Sound fair?”

“Sure. So, uh.” Jack glanced down at himself, looking at how his cock stood proudly, bobbing a bit as he shifted. Then he moved his hand down. “Should I do this from the front or reach behind...?”

He felt a little ridiculous asking but Pitch didn't make fun of him for it. He merely gripped his wrist and gently moved it for him. “Since you're doing it yourself, from this position it might be easier to go behind.”

“Alright.” Jack found himself holding his breath as he felt over himself, fingers easing between his cheeks and trailing toward his entrance. It felt strange doing this to himself. He was comfortable with his body, had jerked off plenty in the past, but he had never gone as far as to finger himself. He knew it was something people did but he just hadn't felt like doing it. He was grateful for Pitch showing him how good this could be.

“Be gentle with yourself, now. I may have taken you twice now, and there's whatever the rabbit did with you, but you're still new to this. You're tough but this is not somewhere you want to hurt yourself, believe me.” Pitch's voice was soothing and gentle as he guided Jack. It still amazed Jack that Pitch could be like this, so different from how he had been months ago. Pitch had expressed delight at seeing Jack's more dominating side. So Jack supposed he could enjoy Pitch's caring side in return. It was tragic that both of them have had to be alone as long as they have.

Jack blinked and told himself this was no time to get emotional. With all the hormones from being aroused he wouldn't be surprised if he started crying. So he focused and slipped the very tip of his index finger into himself.

“You don't need to go in immediately,” Pitch commented. He was keeping a hand on Jack's so he could feel everything he was doing. “You can just touch at first. Play with yourself, tease the rim, make sure you're relaxed with everything. But, if you do wish to just dive right into things, it's important to make sure you have lube.”

While Jack intended to take over their pace in a bit, for now he was happy to be led through this. Pitch was attentive, keeping a close eye on him as he had him press his finger deeper. Jack squeezed his eyes shut for a moment; it still felt weird. But he was getting used to it.

“Explore yourself,” Pitch encouraged. “It's your body and it does its job well, so show it some love.”

“You sound like a self-help book,” Jack muttered, pressing carefully in all directions as he familiarized himself. He wanted to find his own prostate. What would it be like touching it himself? Would it feel different from Pitch touching him?

“Read many self-help books suggesting you finger yourself, do you?” Pitch asked.

“Uh, no. That sounds more like something you would do.”

“Haha, I would. It's good advice. Everyone can do with a little more self-loving from time to time.”

“Aren't you supposed to be telling me about the kinks you don't have?” Jack said.

Pitch leveled him with an exasperated look and Jack steadily stared right back. Pitch used his grip on Jack's hand to abruptly push his finger in faster than he had wanted. It didn't hurt but it was sudden enough to make Jack yelp. Pitch grinned and said, “First off, I just want to clarify that the only bodily fluids I want anything to do with are tears, saliva, blood, sweat, and cum. That is it. Anything else the body produces is a solid no.”

“Fine by me,” Jack said. He kept slowly fingering himself and finally felt over a spot that sent a pulse of pleasure up his cock, his insides aching slightly, and he drew his legs closer together out of reflex. “Oh wow.”

“Ah, you must have just found your prostate, excellent. Feel free to keep playing with it while I tell you more, though I expect you to also get your full finger in there soon, because you're going to need to go to two and then three.” Pitch watched him for a few moments, drinking in the simple pleasure on his face as he closed his eyes and continued massaging that sweet spot. “I tried electrostimulation but couldn't get into it. So I don't think we'll be doing anything of that nature.”

“Electrostimulation?”

“It's just what the name suggests. Using electricity to stimulate erogenous zones. I find it a tad overwhelming. I may be a sadist but my masochism is quite limited. Electricity tips far too much into painful territory for me to truly enjoy. And then, if the electricity is dialed down to the point that it's more of a light shock or tingle, well... I still don't care for it. I just don't like the way it feels.”

“I didn't even know that was a thing so I'm fine with not doing it,” Jack replied. He worked his finger in as far as it could go and took some deep breaths. This wasn't so bad. He could get used to doing this for himself. “What else?”

“Hm... no CBT. I like a little bit of torment but you won't ever have to deal with me trying to stomp your groin or string your balls up in rope or any of that. I may hurt other parts of you, but this?” Pitch cupped Jack's cock with his free hand, his thumb going down to gently stroke his balls. “This is for pleasure. Though I may like to put you in a cock ring from time to time, but rest assured that would only be mildly discomforting. And the more intense orgasm afterward will make it worth it.”

“Geeze, at this rate I'm going to come before you're even inside me,” Jack muttered, well aware of how he throbbed at Pitch's touch and the possibility of a better orgasm.

“Oh I haven't even introduced you to the fun of being fucked after you've already spent,” Pitch said, giving him a few pumps so that he squirmed, gasping quietly. “We won't do that today. But soon.”

“I feel like you have a whole mental list of the things you want to do to me,” Jack said.

Pitch's eyes glittered. “I could fill a book with the things I want to do to you.”

Jack moved his hand back a bit and then began working a second finger inside himself. He was enjoying the discussion but he really wanted to ride Pitch too. Pitch let go of his cock and went down to his own groin, letting himself out of his pants. He sighed in relief as he did and didn't touch himself further, keeping his eyes on Jack.

Jack leaned forward a bit as he worked, using his other hand to brace against Pitch's front, lifting his hips higher as he tried to make the angle less awkward on his wrist. Pitch kept talking to him as he worked, bringing up more kinks and letting Jack know how he felt about them. There were things Jack had never even heard of before, that he probably couldn't have fathomed in his wildest dreams. He thought that he had learned plenty about sex from all his casual eavesdropping on humans, but no, there was a whole new world for him to discover. Some things, he knew right away didn't interest him. But others intrigued him and he could tell Pitch was making mental notes every time he perked up or asked extra questions. He had a feeling his budding sex life was about to get very, very busy.

“It's nice seeing you taking such an interest in all this,” Pitch chuckled, now watching as Jack worked three fingers deep inside himself. “I can't wait to explore your limits.”

“And I can't wait to make things difficult for you,” Jack replied.

“You always do.”

It wasn't much longer before Jack felt satisfied with how relaxed he was around his fingers, sliding them out. Pitch picked up the lube and poured some into his palm, spreading it over himself.

“Let's see how well you did,” he said, wiping his hand off on Jack's leg as he guided him into place. “I assume you want to lead, yes? Go ahead.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I said I was going to wear you out,” Jack said confidently.

“And I recall saying yesterday that next time I fuck you, I'll make sure you pass out afterward. So looks like we both have a promise to keep.”

Jack's eyes were challenging as he leaned his weight down onto Pitch's cock, feeling the head pressing against his hole but not slipping in quite yet. He grasped Pitch's shoulder with one hand while the other went between his legs to hold Pitch steady. “Looks like it. So let's get started.”

“After you,” Pitch replied, resting back and holding Jack's hips.

Jack eased down. The slide of the other's tip into his body was already enough to make him feel hot and full, but he knew how much more there was to go. This position was quite a change from how they've done things before but he liked how it put him in control of the pace. And Pitch wasn't rushing him, merely watching his progress through half-lidded eyes. He didn't try to push him down faster, he merely helped support his weight.

Jack moved his hand away from Pitch's shaft once he was further down it, resting that hand in the center of Pitch's chest for support. He could feel the other's heart beating fast. Jack shuddered when the other rubbed past his sweet spot, and couldn't help lifting up a bit and then going back down to feel him dig into that spot again, the friction a welcome blaze of pleasure.

“Mm, Pitch,” he said with a coy grin, making strong eye contact. “What if I didn't even go all the way down? What if I just kept grinding up and down on you like this, just to feel you against my prostate but not letting you all the way in?”

Pitch's fingers twitched but otherwise his voice was fairly level as he replied, “I would find it slightly frustrating but nonetheless would enjoy it.”

“Yeah, I bet you would, huh? Bet you'd still come inside me.”

“Most definitely.”

“Geeze, listen to you, so formal all the time. It's alright to just let loose and talk dirty and casual to me.”

Pitch let out a rough breath that might have been a laugh. “So I should, like, talk more like you?”

“Oh gods, never mind, I don't like that-”

“OMG, so you like, don't want me to talk like-”

The next roll of Jack's hips was sudden enough to cut Pitch off, a low moan slipping from his throat rather than words. Despite Jack's teasing, he did choose to take Pitch in deeper, wanting to be filled up. He closed his eyes once he was halfway down, feeling an ache now, a stretch that didn't quite hurt and seemed to burn all the way up his spine. He could tell it wasn't quite as easy as when Pitch had fucked him up against the tree and knew he hadn't loosened himself quite as much as the other could.

“Aah, fuck, Jack... you're still so snug,” Pitch groaned a few moments later.

“Is that a problem?” Jack panted, pausing to get used to how it felt.

“With how much lube we used, no, I wouldn't say so. It's simply that you didn't prepare yourself as well as I have before. Not a problem. Practice makes perfect.”

“Gods, it's so fucking weird carrying on conversations like this while you're literally up my ass.”

“As opposed to being metaphorically up your ass?”

“You're like that too,” Jack grumbled, to soft snickers.

“The fact that you're able to banter with me like this while I'm inside you is quite enjoyable to me. Though it does make me want to simply yank you down and pound the voice right out of you.” Pitch felt him clench slightly and said, “But I won't. You're in control, though if at any point you change your mind, I'll gladly take over.”

“Nah. This one is mine,” Jack said. He could still feel that lust for dominance pulsing through his blood. He lifted up and slid back down, canting his hips at just the right angle that the other seemed to just glide all the way in. Jack's breath gasped out as he settled his weight into Pitch's lap, feeling the heat of his body under him and inside him, suddenly wishing the other had taken his pants all the way off so Jack could feel his bare thighs pressing against him. But too late to do anything about that now. He pressed his lips to Pitch's throat and listened to his breathing. Quick, but steady.

Jack has already gathered that Pitch was someone who kept careful control of his body during sex. Even when he was being aggressive, every move was precise and focused. He would speak evenly and modulate his breath. Jack wanted to see him reduced to a quivering mess. He had gotten him to gasp only minutes ago with a bite. Made his breath hitch, if only for a moment, jerking him off. Jack wanted all that and more, and he was going to use his body to get it.

He began to move, lifting himself up and down Pitch's length. He was clumsy at first, trying a few different rhythms to see what was the most comfortable, before settling for a slow, measured, but firm pace. Each time he drove his hips down, the breath gasped out of him, pleasure lighting up his nerves. He kept his eyes closed, listening for Pitch's responses, fingers splayed across his hot skin and feeling the rise and fall of his chest. The other's breath was getting rougher, his moans reserved but audible, and Jack pressed his face in closer.

“You feel amazing,” Pitch whispered to him.

“So do you. Mm, come on... move your hips a little. Follow me,” Jack directed.

Pitch slid his hands to Jack's lower back and then rocked himself up to meet him every time he thrust down. Jack arched and his cock twitched, pre dripping from it, and he realized how close he already was. He pushed the arousal down, wanting to last until Pitch was done. The other's remark about his stamina echoed in his mind and he huffed, determined to prove him wrong. He picked up the pace, slamming himself down into the other, each thrust a fresh current of pleasure. The angle was perfect, Pitch sliding past his prostate each time Jack went up and then driving back into it when he went back down.

“So good having you under me,” Jack moaned, voice husky. He ran his teeth against Pitch's throat. “Nn, it's like your cock was made for me to ride it.”

Pitch must have clenched his teeth because Jack heard him hiss out his next exhale. Then he said, “Jack...”

“Ssh.” Jack bit down and felt the other arch too, hips briefly pressing up harder, but Jack growled and pushed back down, and to his delight, Pitch relaxed back from him. Jack let go and said, “I've got this. You don't need to say anything. Just let me listen to you moan.”

There was a brief stutter to the other's breath and for a moment, Jack thought he was going to protest. Then he simply sighed out through his nose and nodded, rubbing Jack's back and continuing to follow his pace. Jack really understood the other's obsession with hearing him now. It was really hot listening to his partner during sex and Pitch had no reservations about his voice.

As Jack continued, he could feel the other moving more under him, nails dragging into his skin, hips twitching and occasionally losing rhythm, breathing getting shakier. Jack eagerly drank it all in. He was very close to finishing, sure that he wouldn't even need a hand on his cock to do so, but nonetheless, he had an idea.

“Hey, Pitch?” he implored in the sweetest voice he could manage.

“Mm?” Pitch answered. Not even a proper reply. Was he too overwhelmed for words or did he just not feel the need to speak?

“Come on, not too overwhelmed for your words, are you?” Jack teased. He even opened his eyes a bit to see how the other reacted to that.

Pitch grunted and looked down at him, seeming amused, but he only looked for a moment before closing his eyes again and tilting his head back. “I think we're both, ah... a bit too distracted for words,” he replied.

“Obviously not, nngh, if you're still talking,” Jack said. Fuck, it really was hard to focus, though. All his muscles felt taut, expectant, his balls drawing up and the pleasure peaking. “Are you close?”

“So close,” Pitch answered. Jack nodded, not surprised. He could feel every minute shift in Pitch's thighs and hips under him. Could tell from the way his nails dug in that he was trying to hold on.

“Good. I want you to jerk me off,” Jack said. “Then, once I've finished, that's when you're allowed to come inside me.”

Pitch moved his right hand without another word, grasping Jack around the base and smoothly stroking up to his tip. Jack had to close his eyes again, entire body seeming to rock into that motion, and he fucked himself even harder on the other's cock, beginning to tip over the edge.

It only took a couple more pumps from Pitch's talented fingers to get him off, intense ecstasy washing over him, and he sank his teeth into the other's shoulder as he came, this time breaking the skin. With a broken moan, Pitch finished too, grinding up into him as he filled him with his seed. Jack went limp against him, pulling his mouth away and spending a few quiet moments floating in his afterglow and barely aware of anything else. Then he began to focus on the marks left in Pitch's skin, seeing blood trickle down. He hesitated for only a moment before lapping at it, too relaxed to second guess the decision. Pitch's fingers, still wrapped around him, squeezed lightly and then withdrew.

Jack glanced down in time to see Pitch trail his fingers across his own stomach, which Jack had come against. Pitch swiped the release up and raised it to his lips, licking it slowly from his fingers.

“Ohh you're nasty,” Jack commented, a pang of heat going to his gut. His body was throbbing around Pitch, who was still buried inside him, but Jack was in no hurry to pull off. He liked how that steady heat felt, how his thick cock kept him stretched open. He stayed there on Pitch's lap, snuggling close to him and sticking out his tongue to catch another trickle of blood from Pitch's shoulder. The taste was rich and metallic, and he noticed it seemed darker than regular blood. He licked up to the wound and then suckled on it, and Pitch let out a tired, soft noise. His hands went up to Jack's hair, smoothing through it, every move gentle. Yet Jack could feel an unfamiliar shakiness to his fingers. It made him smile.

“So, feel worn out?” Jack asked, looking up at Pitch and licking his lips off when he saw that he was being watched. He pressed his hand to the bite instead to stem the blood, though it already seemed to be stopping on its own.

Pitch's cheeks were still flushed and his eyelids drooped with exhaustion. His mouth quirked at the question and he sighed, leaning his forehead into Jack's before saying, “Very.” One hand curved around Jack's neck, thumb stroking his cheek. “That was quite a treat. How often do you think you'll be in the mood to lead like that?”

“I dunno. I'm still learning what I'm into. But I really liked this.” Jack finally lifted his hips and slid off the other, then rested his weight more against one of his thighs, turning his body sideways as he snuggled into him. “I really like when you're in charge of things. That stuff you do, like with the crop... it's fun. I like when you tell me what to do. But sometimes I think I'll want to tell you what to do.”

“And that's fine. We don't have to do things the same way all the time.” Pitch yawned and reached down, doing up his pants. Then he adjusted his robe and glanced toward the stairs before sighing in dismay.

“We should go to bed, huh?” Jack asked.

“Yes, but I find that I really don't want to stand up. My legs might just collapse after all that.”

“I don't think it's your legs we should be concerned about, dude. Fuck.” Jack rubbed his thighs. “I'm gonna be feeling this tomorrow.” His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he yawned, exhaustion hitting him. He had to force his eyes back open. Otherwise he was likely to just fall asleep in Pitch's lap on the chair. Which didn't sound terrible now that he thought about it. But it probably wouldn't be a very comfortable place for Pitch to sleep.

But then, the chair was plush and sturdy, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad...

Pitch shifted his weight like he wanted to stand and Jack sighed, tentatively putting a foot down on the floor and then shaking as his body protested. “Ow.”

“Here, I can carry you-”

“Hold on, it's okay, just let me...” Jack glanced at where his staff was laying and then called the wind over to him without it. It wasn't quite as easy but he's been practicing using his power on his own. He had learned months ago that the staff was just a conduit for his own innate magic. He didn't need it. He stepped lightly onto the wind and it wrapped around him, lifting him into the air like it always has. He didn't go high though, instead just hovering a few inches off the floor, letting the wind support him so he didn't have to put weight on his legs.

Then, with a smirk, he leaned in and scooped Pitch up. He gave him no warning, he just slid one arm behind his back and the other under his knees, then he was lifting him from the chair and holding him bridal style.

The move took Pitch by surprise, eyes widening and quickly going to Jack's, though he soon composed himself and crossed his arms, looking unimpressed. “I don't need to be carried to bed.”

“I know. But I want to carry you.” Jack nuzzled him. It wasn't really hard holding Pitch up, especially since he could just direct the wind to help support some of his weight. Pitch sighed and accepted it with a roll of his eyes, but Jack didn't miss the way his gaze softened and he smiled. Jack looked at his clothes laying on the floor, the staff, and shrugged, deciding to just leave them there. He turned and flew to the stairs, darting up them and floating over the bed before releasing his magic. He turned them so they fell onto their sides, bouncing slightly, which made both of them laugh.

Jack leaned in and booped Pitch's nose with his own, then crawled under the covers and seemed to pass out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Pitch snorted. “Typical.” He sat up and undressed, not caring for sleeping in his clothes. He tossed everything off the bed and briefly looked toward the dresser, considering if he wanted to put on pajama pants and then deciding no. He was too tired to get up. He got under the covers too, resting against Jack and closing his eyes.

As he drifted off, he thought about what he had learned about Jack today. Both in regards to his kinks but also his unsavory hobby. That glint of darkness in Jack's eyes as he spoke about it seemed to say he would gladly do it again and again. He took pleasure in his violence and Pitch couldn't help but wonder how far Jack would take it if pushed. And then, Pitch wondered what the fear of Jack's victims tasted like.

He sighed and opened his eyes again, checking Jack out. The other's expression was peaceful as he slept. He seemed so soft and innocent. But Pitch knew better. He gently ran a finger down Jack's face, from his forehead, between his eyes, and along the bridge of his nose. He did it so lightly that the other didn't even wake up. He stroked him a few times, admiring him, feeling proud of himself for seducing such a wonderful person, and then feeling a softer joy at the love he had found with someone he had only ever expected to see as a friend with benefits.

Pitch's hand dropped and his eyes fell shut. His last thought before he fell asleep was that he could perhaps make a whole new game out of exploring Jack's dark side. He wanted to know everything his partner was capable of.


	17. Sowing Fear

When Jack woke up, he was covered in sweat as usual. He didn’t really care, though. Being comfortable under the covers with the other was worth it. He yawned and snuggled closer, wondering what he should do today. He didn’t have any particular ideas but he could go anywhere in the world and get up to mischief. Maybe Pitch will have some ideas. They could start working together like they talked about.

He felt the other move and looked up, then realized he was awake. He always seemed to be up before Jack was. Jack thought it was sweet that he chose to keep laying there with him instead of waking him up.

“We need to take a shower,” Pitch said once their eyes met.

Jack rested his head down on Pitch’s chest and grumbled, “Good morning to you too.”

“It would be a better morning if we were in the shower. Come on, the sooner we wash up, the sooner we can lay back down.”

Jack pushed himself up a bit on an arm. “You want to go back to bed after showering?”

“Well, I don’t plan to fall asleep again. And if you get under the covers you’ll likely get sweaty again. But I would like to cuddle with you for a while.”

“Aww. Then let’s take that shower.”

Jack’s legs were sore when he got up but it wasn’t too bad. He checked on Pitch’s shoulder where he had bitten him. There was a bruise but the teeth marks themselves had closed up nicely. He looked away and they headed for the bathroom.

Pitch pulled the curtain around the tub and then reached in to turn on the water, flipping a switch so the shower head turned on.

Jack leaned against the counter while waiting, taking some of the weight off his legs and hips.

“Would you care for breakfast this morning?” Pitch asked.

Jack shrugged. He didn’t need food and didn’t have any particular cravings right now either. “I’m not hungry so up to you. I’ll eat whatever.”

“Then I think I’m just going to have cereal this morning. I don’t feel like cooking.” Pitch got in the shower.

Jack climbed in with him and moved the curtain back into place once he did. Then he turned his face up toward the wide shower head. It felt like standing in a heavy rainstorm except the water was super warm. He took a few moments to soak before moving aside so Pitch could rinse off. He helped himself to the nearest bottle of shampoo, pouring some directly into his hair and then passing it to Pitch before lathering the shampoo up.

“Do you plan to keep using my stuff?” Pitch asked. “There’s plenty of shelf space if you want to get your own.”

“I’m fine using yours,” Jack said, working the lather through his hair. “I like smelling like you.”

“Alright, now you’re the one being sappy.”

“We’re both just a couple of saps.” Jack reached for the body wash, admiring Pitch’s chest as the other lifted his arms and scrubbed his fingers into his hair. Pitch really did look good, he was thin but he had good muscle definition in places like his chest and upper arms, and Jack wondered if he exercised or if he was just naturally shaped like that.

Most of the shower was spent fairly quietly, as both were still waking up and they didn’t have much to say. Then Jack noticed the shower head was detachable and got it down, spraying himself off and then turning it to spray the other with.

Pitch got an unexpected face full of water and turned away, but not before some of it went up his nose. He coughed and gave Jack an indignant push.

“You are such a nuisance,” Pitch complained.

Jack just smiled and went to spray him again. Pitch caught his wrist and shoved it down so the water went toward the floor instead. Jack struggled but Pitch was much stronger than him physically.

“Damn, we need to work out together,” Jack commented as he watched the muscles all along Pitch’s arm strain to keep Jack’s wrist still.

“In that case I’d need to teach you to sword fight, because that’s the sort of exercise I do.” Pitch let go of his wrist and stretched. “Well, that and push-ups. You’d be amazed how good push-ups are for strengthening your arms and your core.”

“You got any weights? I doubt all this is just from sword fighting and push-ups,” Jack said, gesturing to the other’s abdomen. Then, unable to help himself, he ran his fingers lightly against his muscles. Pitch didn’t have a visibly defined six pack but Jack could definitely feel one there.

Pitch smirked at him. “I don’t have any equipment or weights. I exercise either with a weapon or simply on my own. Push-ups and other core exercises, dancing to keep up my flexibility and balance, and so on.”

“Wow. Well, you look good.” Jack admired him for a bit longer. Then he aimed the shower head back at him.

Pitch dodged the spray that time. Then he grabbed the shower head away and doused Jack with it.

“Okay, I deserved that,” Jack admitted as he brushed water away from his eyes.

“I’m done washing up, are you?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’ve been done. I just like screwing around.”

“I’ve noticed.” Pitch turned off the water, starting with the cold knob and then the hot. The water briefly got hot enough to make Jack hiss and scramble out of the tub, then the spray stopped completely. Pitch followed him out, getting two towels and passing one over. “If it was just me showering, it would have been that hot the entire time,” he said.

“Masochist,” Jack muttered, drying off.

“Not at all. It feels quite pleasant to me. I take it you prefer showering in cold water?”

“Yeah but to be honest, I don’t usually get to shower very often. If I want to wash off I usually just dive into a lake or river or something. Though I have showered in rainstorms and under waterfalls.”

“How rustic.”

Jack shrugged. “It’s always worked for me. But I like this, getting to use your shower and bath. I forgot how warm water can actually get. Even during summer, most of the water I’d get into would be lukewarm at best. Usually it’d be cold. That doesn’t bother me though, it’s more energizing bathing in cold water.”

“Oh, I bet. You can take cold baths and showers here then, just don’t expect me to join you.” Pitch hung his towel up once he was done drying off and went to the counter, grabbing his comb.

“Oh I’ll talk you into it one day,” Jack said. “I’ll probably have to make some big promise, let you do something absolutely ridiculous to me in bed, and then you’ll be so happy you’ll let me drag you into a nice, freezing bath.”

“That sounds awful.”

“I know, wouldn’t it be fun?” Jack grinned and rubbed his head against Pitch’s side.

Pitch sighed, nudging him away with an arm. “About as fun as a sandpaper dildo.”

“You have such a way with words. Hey, wait, didn’t you say a while back that you’re pretty tolerant of the cold? Why are you so against taking a cold bath with me?”

“Well, one reason is because I like messing with you. But also, I find cold water to be much more uncomfortable than cold air. But you’ve been dealing with me using warm water, so if you’d like, you can run a bath or shower at whatever temperature you prefer and I’ll join you, alright?”

“The warm water has been fine, really, you don’t make it super hot…”

“Yes but I’d still like to see what you consider to be comfortable. Might be fun.”

“Yeah, it would be fun seeing you turn into an icicle,” Jack replied.

Once they were both done in the bathroom, they returned to the bedroom. Pitch went to get his pajama pants and pulled them on, while Jack stood there naked and finally shrugged, crawling into bed. He laid on his back on top of the covers and stretched, not shy about his body.

“Do you have any clothes besides the ones currently on the floor in the living room?” Pitch asked as he laid next to him.

“Nope. I don’t exactly have a way to carry around a lot of stuff and I didn’t have a permanent home before, so no. I don’t have any more clothes.”

“Well. Then you’re more than welcome to use my dresser and wardrobe. There’s plenty of space if you’d like to get more clothing. Though, you’re also welcome to lounge around naked.” Pitch looked him over and smiled. “I’ll appreciate the view.”

“Pervert.”

“Takes one to know one, Jack.”

Jack snorted. “Uh-huh. Before you I’d hardly even thought about having sex with anyone. You’ve made a total pervert out of me already. For shame.”

“Yes, you went from a blushing virgin to a smooth dirty talker quite fast. Are you sure no one has had you before me? I won’t be jealous.”

“You were my first. But well…” Jack chuckled and turned onto his side to beam at the other. “I’ve overheard a lot of stuff from humans and I’ve also taken to browsing the Internet a lot when I find an unsecured computer…”

“Yes, I believe you mentioned that before.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know how much time you’ve spent online, but there is some raunchy stuff there. Let’s just say I picked up a lot of colorful language. So once I got comfortable with things, I dunno.” Jack idly swirled a finger along the blanket under him, watching frost spread across the threads. “It became easy to talk like that to you.”

“I like your style of dirty talk. And I’m happy you’ve become comfortable with me.” Pitch pulled him in to cuddle with and Jack flopped onto him, snuggling close. Neither was tired enough to fall back asleep but they were very cozy laying there together.

“I think we should do what we talked about,” Jack said. “Working together. Fear and fun, and all that.”

“Of course. I’ll start whenever you want to. Where would you like to begin?”

“Mm…” Jack hummed as he thought about it. “We should go to the southern hemisphere where it’s winter. Maybe we can find some people out camping and mess with them. Imagine a bunch of people around a campfire, telling stories and trying to stay warm… then someone starts a scary story, and you can mess with the shadows, ramp up their fear… and I can snuff out their fire, plunge them into dark and cold… oh man it’d be fun!”

“Ah, I do love messing with campers,” Pitch said warmly. “Having you there to lower the temperature and give them a chill will make things so much better.”

“Yeah! Yeah, we can scare the crap out of people! Man, I can’t wait til Halloween. We’re going to be terrifying.”

“I’m looking forward to it. But for now, we should practice our craft.” Pitch sat up, pulling Jack in for a kiss. It was chaste, close-lipped, making Jack blush at the sweetness of it. Then Pitch was getting up and taking off his pajama pants, getting dressed in his usual clothes.

“You wanna head out after breakfast?” Jack asked.

“If that’s alright with you,” Pitch replied.

“Yeah, it’s cool.” Jack got up too. He remembered that his clothes were downstairs and went down to get them. He pulled his pants and hoodie on, then retrieved his staff. He wandered toward the couch, thinking about the other night when he and Pitch had gotten drunk watching The Thing. That had been a lot of fun.

When he heard Pitch come downstairs, he said, “You finished copying that movie, right?”

“Oh, yes. I suppose you’ll want to return the original?” Pitch went to the TV, kneeling down and picking up the box containing the original movie. “Here it is, whenever you want to do that.” He set it on the coffee table, then picked up a different, plain box. “And here’s the copy. I’ve already labeled it.”

“Cool. Yeah, I’ll run this back over to the thrift store I got it from,” Jack said, picking up the original.

“Sounds good. I’m going to have breakfast in the meantime.”

Jack nodded and went to the window, flying out. It was a quick trip into town to return the movie. The case still had the price sticker on it and he hoped no one had noticed it missing. He wasn’t sure if thrift stores monitored their stock as closely as other stores. Once the movie was back on the shelf he had taken it from, he slipped out and returned home.

It still made him giddy thinking about how he had a home. Not just an entire town he liked to return to, but a specific place, with a lover who was waiting for him.

He went to find Pitch once he returned. The other was in the dining room eating cereal, occasionally sipping from a mug of black coffee. Jack caught a whiff of it as he walked by the table and noted it was an especially strong brew.

“Don’t mind me, just gonna find something to snack on,” Jack said.

“Help yourself.” Pitch waved a hand dismissively.

Jack went to the fridge and grabbed a cup of strawberry yogurt. Then he went to the silverware drawer and glanced through it. There wasn’t a lot of cutlery but it was well organized. He picked out a spoon and then went to sit across from Pitch.

He tore the lid off the yogurt and dug in. It had chunks of fruit at the bottom but as he bit into it, he could tell it had way too much added sugar to truly be considered healthy. He would never understand why modern food producers felt the need to add sugar to something that was already naturally sweet.

“Where in the south were you thinking of going?” Pitch asked.

“I dunno. I was just in New Zealand not too long ago. Though I guess I could go back. There’s Australia but I kinda consider that Bunny’s turf and don’t go there a lot, I mostly leave winter there up to Mother Nature. Maybe we could have some fun in Tasmania though. Ooh, or South Africa, there’s some mountains there that can get pretty cold and I know people like camping there. Honestly there’s a bunch of places we could go.”

“I’ll leave it up to you,” Pitch said. “Though, as it is currently morning, perhaps we should make sure we go to a time zone so far ahead that it’s already night. That’s when we’ll be most effective.”

“Oh yeah, that would make it easier,” Jack admitted. “I think Tasmania, then, would be best. I’m not exactly sure how far ahead they are but it’s gotta be at least afternoon for them right now.”

“Most likely. We can go after breakfast and if it’s not late enough, we can still entertain ourselves.” Pitch smiled at him. “There’s still plenty of ways to scare people in the daylight.”

When they were done eating, they headed out. They traveled through the shadows and landed in a forest. It was dark and they checked the sky, then Pitch said, “Ah, if I recall correctly, this place is about sixteen hours ahead of where we live. So yes, it is definitely late enough.”

“Cool, let’s find some campers,” Jack said.

Pitch set a hand on his shoulder and pointed through the trees. They could see the distant glow of a campfire.

“There’s a small group of people over there, they’re all young adults and seem to be a friend group. Shall we go investigate?”

“Yeah!”

They walked toward the group. This area of the forest had a trail running through it and the campsite was set up in what seemed to be a designated spot. Jack wondered if it had to be reserved or if it was just there to be used on a first come, first served basis. There were no bathing facilities or anything, though. It was just a cluster of tents in a cleared spot among the trees, and the campers were gathered around a fire in the center, toasting marshmallows and chatting.

Judging from their conversation, they were all friends who went to college together.

Jack and Pitch stopped next to one of the tents to observe the humans. No one was able to see them. Jack took advantage of that, picking up a rock and throwing it over everyone’s heads. It thumped loudly against a tree and everyone turned to look, going quiet.

After some suspicious stares into the woods, they returned to talking, wondering what that was. Then they playfully began accusing one of the guys in the group, who was apparently a known trickster, of doing it. He denied it.

“That startled them but they aren’t truly afraid,” Pitch said. “Allow me.” He extended his awareness over the area, finding all the animals that were calling softly into the night and using his power to frighten them into going silent. Birds and insects froze with terror and the sudden lack of noise put the campers on edge.

“Oh fuck, why did everything go quiet?” one of them asked. “Is there a predator or something scaring them?”

Pitch smiled and Jack jumped a little with glee, raising his staff and sending a cold wind through the clearing. It rattled the trees and everyone winced; none of them were wearing the right clothes for the sudden cold. Even during winter, Tasmania had a mild temperature. So Jack made the ambient temperature drop too. The others shivered and gathered closer to their fire, feeding it more wood.

Meanwhile, Pitch surrounded the area with shadows, sending them up through the trees to block moonlight. It gave the effect of darkness encroaching on everything, with only the fire to provide light.

“Dude, this place is so creepy tonight,” one of the campers whispered.

“I know,” another muttered, rubbing her arms. “It wasn’t supposed to be this cold…”

“Forget the cold, I’m freaked out by how quiet everything is!”

Jack checked on Pitch and saw that he was grinning. He really was in his element right now. The shadows obeyed his every whim, making threatening shapes, slithering closer to the campfire even though they naturally shouldn’t exist near such light.

“Jack, can you make some noise in the woods around us?” Pitch asked. “I know they can’t specifically hear you, but if you shoot frost into the leaves and rustle them, for example, they would hear that, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah, they would… leave it to me.” Jack called the wind over and jumped onto it, flying in a circle around the campsite. He lowered the crook of his staff down and swept it through fallen leaves, sending sparks of frost lightning out as he did and creating a dramatic crackling noise.

There were alarmed exclamations from the humans and he saw them spin around to look toward the sound. He darted over them and made more noise behind them, loudly knocking against tree trunks while the wind violently shook the branches.

The campers turned back around, a few looking panicked now.

“Someone go get a flashlight,” one of them said.

“We don’t know what’s out there, we could spook it into attacking us!”

“Oh please, it’s not like Tasmania’s got bears or wolves or anything. At worst it’s probably just a devil.”

“A devil wouldn’t make all that racket!”

While they argued, one of the campers did slip into a tent and then come back with a flashlight, turning it on and sweeping over the area. They checked out all the places Jack had made noise in, declaring that nothing was there.

“Don’t ruin the fun,” Jack chastised, focusing his magic on the flashlight. He couldn’t see it but he could feel the ice crystals growing inside the battery compartment and then melting, and the flashlight shorted out, the beam flickering ominously as it did before going out completely.

That earned some shouts, along with someone screaming, “The campsite’s haunted!”

“You could call it that,” Pitch joked. He released his influence over the animals and they began calling again, though many of them decided to just move away from the area. Pitch instead focused on the humans, reading their fears and then fueling them, making every single person imagine the worst possible explanation for the strange noises and the cold, tugging at their imagination so they saw his shadows as potential monsters.

“I’m scared, this place feels wrong, can’t you guys feel it?” someone whispered.

“We’re fine, we’re just letting the dark get to us,” another tried to say but was interrupted.

“The dark isn’t making all those weird noises!”

Jack went right behind that person, striking the ground inches from their feet and snapping a twig, and they jumped about a foot and scrambled to get away, looking back and seeing nothing. “What the fuck!”

“It’s gotta be ghosts or something, this is insane, I think I’m gonna film.” It was the camper who had suggested the place was haunted. He got out a smartphone.

Jack still wasn’t sure if he could be caught on camera. Technology was quite strange when it came to spirits. So he decided to avoid the phone and so did Pitch. While Jack was fast enough to dodge out of view every time the person aimed it somewhere, Pitch merely stepped behind a tree and continued his work from there, not needing to see what he was doing anymore. He was working with everyone’s minds now, stoking their fears and savoring their responses.

Jack kept messing with the group. He figured out a way to rustle the leaves on the ground just right so that it sounded like something large and heavy running through them. He dragged his nails against tree trunks to make an awful scraping noise. And he would direct wind through the area unexpectedly and from different directions just to make them shiver and creep in closer to their fire.

No one was roasting marshmallows anymore. They were discussing what was happening in hushed voices. One person was in favor of just packing up and leaving. The others insisted they should stay the rest of the night but maybe they should go to bed.

One especially brave camper suggested they make use of the scary atmosphere and tell some ghost stories. This was met with mostly uninterested grumbling and a comment that they were currently in a ghost story.

“Come on, there’s gotta be a rational explanation for all this,” one of them said.

“Yeah, we could all just be slowly losing our minds!” another retorted.

The person who was filming stopped the video and put their phone away with a frown. “It’s too dark to make out anything… but I really think it’s ghosts. Has anyone died here?”

“It’s a bloody forest, people have definitely died here. I guarantee it.”

Pitch approached Jack, taking his hand. Jack looked at him and smiled at how lively and happy the other’s face was.

“They’re very scared,” Pitch said. “But they don’t want to leave with how long it took them to come out here and get set up. Still, I think we’ve made a lasting impression. Every time they come here, they’ll remember how terrifying this night was.”

“And we’re not even done with them yet,” Jack said. “Are we?”

“I’ll admit, I have gathered quite enough energy from this group and would like to find another campsite. But do you have any other ideas for this place before we go?”

“Oh yeah. Let’s stop everything for a bit, let them relax… then put out their fire.”

Pitch laughed at that. “Delightful! Yes, let’s do that.”

Jack let the temperature go back up and Pitch returned the shadows to their natural shapes. Moonlight came down again and everyone visibly relaxed, seeming to shake off their nerves and discussing how strange that had been. They wondered if it had been the start of some kind of mass hysteria.

Then, as they were starting to roast marshmallows again, chatting about other creepy camping experiences…

Jack and Pitch combined their magic to abruptly snuff the life out of the fire. The roaring blaze was gone in a moment and Jack sent a fierce wind circling the campsite at that same moment, nearly tearing the tents from their pegs. A chorus of screams filled the air as the area was plunged into darkness.

“Now we can go,” Jack said smugly.

Pitch swept his arm around him and pulled him in to kiss. Jack kissed back, feeling giddy. This was fun.

“You’re very good at this,” Pitch said once their lips separated. “You can’t feel their fear but it’s incredible right now. There’s a whole buffet over there, a couple of them even think they’re going to die! And then there’s that ghost-obsessed one… this was an interesting group.”

“Do you feel stronger?” Jack asked.

“I do. I feel so much stronger than I was when I woke up. Come, I can sense a smaller family group a few miles from here.”

“Alright,” Jack agreed. He figured this first group has had enough for one night. He held onto Pitch as they went through the shadows and reappeared in a different part of the forest. The campsite they landed near was small and the family Pitch mentioned was the only one there. They were also already asleep, the parents in a tent while their child had taken a sleeping bag outside of her own tent and was laying next to the smoldering embers of the campfire.

“None of them are dreaming yet but they are asleep,” Pitch said after a few moments. He looked at the child. “Hm, I wonder… ah, yes. Look.” He pointed up. Jack looked too and saw a single, thin thread of gold dreamsand weaving down through the trees.

“You’re amazing, Sandy,” Jack whispered. Pitch shot him a glare and Jack shrugged. “What? He is. The fact that he’s reaching out to someone all the way out here… it’s pretty cool.”

“His power is impressive, I’ll grant him that much. But let’s see if he notices me influencing it.” Pitch returned his attention to the kid.

The sand spun around her head and shaped into airplanes flying in circles and doing tricks. There was a small figure in one of the planes, revealing that the kid was dreaming of being a stunt pilot.

“Ah, the ways I could make that end so badly,” Pitch chuckled, before slinking over to the sleeping bag. Jack followed, though kept his eye on the occupied tent. Then again, it probably wouldn’t matter if the parents came out. Neither of them would notice Jack or Pitch.

Pitch knelt there for a few moments, watching the dream, and Jack had a feeling he was able to see far more of it than the dreamsand actually showed.

After some contemplation, Pitch reached out a hand. His fingers drifted against the two planes that didn’t contain the dreamer, and they turned black and careened out of control, crashing and exploding into dramatic fireballs.

The kid whimpered and curled up a bit, but the one golden plane remained, flying more unsteadily now.

“Are you going to try and save your routine after such a disaster?” Pitch whispered. “Or will you land, mourn their loss?”

Jack watched Pitch curiously. It was interesting seeing him at work, the brightness in his eyes as he gazed into that dream. Out here in the dark, the shadows seeming to blend into the darkness of his robe, he really seemed to be in his element.

Pitch’s lip quirked up at whatever he was seeing. Even Jack could see the golden airplane right itself and then do a barrel roll. “Going to try and salvage it?” Pitch said. “Good luck doing that without engines.” He prodded the plane under one of the wings. The engine there blackened and billowed smoke. Pitch waited a few moments, watching as the figure in the plane struggled to keep control. Then Pitch took out the other engine. All of the sand blackened as the plane went down, seemingly toward the actual child’s head. As soon as it made contact, all the sand dispersed and the child jolted upright, screaming.

There was motion inside the tent and Pitch took Jack’s wrist, tugging him off toward the side and then stopping to watch.

“Holly?” a frantic woman’s voice shouted as the tent was unzipped and a woman hurried out, a man right behind her holding a knife.

The kid wrestled free of her sleeping bag and called back, “Mom?” She clambered up and into her mom’s arms. “I had a nightmare!”

“Ohh, come here, it’s okay. It wasn’t real.”

“It felt so real, I was flying a plane and my friends were too and they crashed and then I crashed and… and…” She sniffed and buried her face against her mom, who only cooed at her and stroked her hair, while the dad put the knife aside and moved in to hug her.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t going to cause unnatural nightmares anymore and only feed on ones that happened naturally?” Jack asked Pitch quietly, in case the girl was one of his believers.

“I did but I changed my mind. But look at her, Jack. She’s in no danger. In fact, her fear has led to her parents reassuring her, thus strengthening her bond with them. Nightmares can be healthy. Even Sandy understands that, though his nightmares tend to be far better for the psyche than mine. He deals more in helping people to accept unpleasant truths. In softening the memories of hardships in order to grand mental peace. He reminds people of the happiness to be found even within sad memories. But as you can see, my methods are much different, tending more towards raw shock. I just like to cause scares. But she seems well now. She’s already falling asleep again.”

“Yeah.” Jack watched as Holly was carried into the tent with her parents, who had apparently decided she would be safer inside with them. “I guess you messing with dreams can be alright sometimes. Just try not to traumatize anyone.”

“Ah, the nature of dreams can make it quite difficult to traumatize someone solely with a nightmare. Trauma almost always needs to have some sort of root in reality, whether it be physical or emotional. But I will keep that in mind.” Pitch held his hand out to Jack, who took it immediately, cold fingers winding between warm ones. “Shall we continue? There’s no shortage of campers tonight.”

Jack grinned. “Let’s go.”

Pitch’s fingers tightened and before the darkness surrounded them, Jack could see him grinning too.


	18. A New Nightmare

Jack and Pitch spent several hours traveling through the country seeking out people in the night to scare. The longer they worked, the more cheerful Pitch became, and it warmed Jack’s heart to see it. This was what Pitch was meant to do and Jack couldn’t find it in himself to feel defensive of Pitch’s targets. None of this was truly hurting anyone. It wasn’t right for Pitch to be forced to repress who he was, so Jack was glad to see him letting loose with his powers.

Jack got better at helping Pitch over time too, using cold and wind to get people on edge and shivering, and then Pitch would add terror to the mix and get them screaming and scrambling for shelter.

As the glow of sunrise began appearing over the horizon, Pitch tilted his head back to look at it and then laughed wildly, grabbing Jack’s hands and swinging him about. “What a night! I haven’t felt this good since my reign of terror months ago!”

“Yeah you were definitely enjoying yourself back then,” Jack said. “But I’m glad you aren’t making them lose hope like you were before.”

“I would rather not be beat down by all of you again.” Pitch grabbed Jack under the arms and tossed him up, catching him in midair to hug him tightly.

“Okay, calm down, it’s like you love me or something,” Jack teased as he wrapped his arms around Pitch.

“Oh no, how could anyone ever get that impression?” Pitch pressed his lips to Jack’s cheek.

Jack laughed, feeling giddy. He didn’t get the same joy out of scaring people that Pitch did, but there had been a number of people who actually laughed once the fear wore off and Jack had liked seeing their smiles.

“What now?” Jack asked.

“I suppose we could return to Burgess, although… ooh, wait. There’s something I can finally do now.” Pitch set him down and moved toward some nearby shadows, hovering his hands over them.

Jack watched curiously as Pitch focused, and after a few moments, Pitch began to move his hands as if coaxing an animal forth, whispering encouragingly under his breath.

The shadows swirled and a shape rose from them, forming into a four-legged creature. Strong legs pounded sharp hooves against the ground and a sinewy neck lifted up, a long head at the end of it. Glowing yellow eyes opened and the creature swished its tail, which looked more like indistinct tendrils than hair.

Jack’s mouth dropped open as the shadow horse reached its full size, easily as big as a typical mare but more slender, looking almost skeletal in places. She pawed the ground with a hoof and snorted, pressing her muzzle into Pitch’s chest as he cooed at her.

“That’s it, girl, oh I’m so happy to see you.” He ran a hand up her head, stroking behind her ears.

“A Nightmare,” Jack whispered.

“Yes, and one not quite like my other ones. She’s not made of corrupted dreamsand, no… she’s pure shadow. Which means she would be safe from the Sandman.” Pitch let go of her and she pranced in a circle, testing her legs.

Then she came over to Jack, staring him down. He smiled nervously and held a hand out to her. “Hey, girl. Friends?”

The Nightmare ignored his hand and instead surged forward into his personal space, bunting her head against his chest. He went rigid as fear overtook him, breath catching in his throat and hands clenching. She whickered, teeth catching on his hoodie and tugging playfully.

“What a pure fear she invokes,” Pitch said proudly.

“Could you maybe, uh, not?” Jack asked the horse, hands going to her face and trying to push her back. He wasn’t necessarily scared that she was going to hurt him, it was just a general sense of fear, a foreboding feeling that overtook him and made him want to stay very, very still.

“Darling, he’s a friend,” Pitch said to the Nightmare, softly chiding. “Do go easy on him now.”

The Nightmare snorted and let go of Jack’s hoodie, stepping back from him. Suddenly it was easier to breathe again and the fear faded. He inhaled deeply and touched his chest, almost expecting to ache or feel strange, but he felt normal.

“Are you alright?” Pitch asked him.

“Yeah.” Jack swallowed and lifted his hand, inviting the Nightmare to touch him again. This time, her nose went into his palm. The fear returned but it wasn’t as startling now that he knew to expect it. It seemed like something she couldn’t control, that happened any time she touched someone. Jack petted her. She was warmer than he expected, reminding him of Pitch’s skin. Despite being made of shadows, she was quite solid, with a velvety texture. Though he also got the feeling that if he pressed hard enough, his hand could go right through her.

“I likely won’t make another herd,” Pitch said. “But having just her will be enough for me.”

“Are you going to name her?” Jack asked, petting the Nightmare’s wispy mane. The tendrils of it flowed around his hand. She was cooler here than the rest of her body.

“She can choose a name for herself,” Pitch said, coming over and touching the Nightmare’s neck. “What do you say, dear? What name suits you?”

She pulled her face from Jack’s hand and swung it toward Pitch, meeting his eyes. Jack heard nothing but apparently she had some mental connection to the other, because he soon nodded and smiled.

“A lovely name. So you shall be known. Jack, allow me to introduce you to Umbra,” he said.

“Umbra,” Jack stated and she looked back at him, eyes shimmering like embers. “That’s beautiful. Latin for shadow, right?”

She didn’t smile but her ears went forward and he could tell she was pleased.

“She likes you already,” Pitch said.

“She talks to you, then?” Jack asked.

“We have a telepathic connection.”

“Can she only do that with you or could she talk to me too?”

“Hm…” Pitch exchanged a glance with Umbra, then he said, “She would need to make a connection to you with your consent, and having her in your mind can be quite uncomfortable. She scared you just by touching you, if she linked your minds it would likely scare you even more.”

“I can handle fear,” Jack said. He met Umbra’s eyes. “You can talk to me if you want.”

She blinked slowly, then nodded.

“Be gentle with him,” Pitch said.

She nickered and then lifted her head to push her forehead into Jack’s. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he closed his eyes and leaned into her, waiting for her to proceed.

For a moment, he hoped that maybe she was already making the connection and it wasn’t so bad, all he felt was the same level of fear she had caused while touching him before. Then a new sensation lanced through his mind, a deeper cold than even Antarctica, so chilling that he shivered uncontrollably. It was accompanied by intense fear as her thoughts reached out to him and he mentally flinched away. He couldn’t remember feeling this cold and scared since the day he drowned as a human.

Umbra huffed and Pitch gently touched Jack’s back, rubbing it. “It’s alright, Jack. Focus. Let her in. She won’t hurt you.”

He took a deep breath and relaxed, allowing that cold to move through him. This time when her thoughts attempted to flow into his mind, he listened for them, silently telling her it was okay, he wanted to hear her.

 _Such cold, blue fear within you,_ a low, echoing voice said in his head. Jack opened his eyes and stared at her in surprise. She was looking steadily back at him. _You can hear me now, I know. Can you respond?_

Jack started to open his mouth, then realized she likely wanted him to answer with his own thoughts. So he thought back to her, _Like this?_

_Yes. Very good._

_Can you hear all my thoughts now?_

_Only ones you intend for me. When you wish to speak to me, grasp our connection within your mind and send your thoughts along it. Then you can release it and your thoughts will be your own._

It sounded strange but Jack understood. Even once her forehead pulled back from him, there was a string of cold darkness that remained in his mind. It was easy enough to ignore, but as soon as he thought about it, it was right there again.

He let go of the string and tentatively thought, _Hello? Umbra?_ Umbra merely looked at him. He connected to her again and repeated it, and this time she perked, tilting her head to show she heard.

_Well done, Jack._

He smiled. She was quite cordial despite how she thrived on fear like her creator. He gave her neck a few pats and then stepped away, talking out loud. “Okay, now that I can talk to the shadow horse, what now?”

“We can ride back to Burgess,” Pitch replied, approaching Umbra. She bent her front legs, kneeling to allow him onto her back. He jumped on easily and took up her mane in a hand, and she straightened. “I’ve been looking forward to traveling on the winds with you.”

Jack let out an excited whoop and called the wind to himself, soaring onto it. With a delighted whinny, Umbra chased him into the air, her hooves moving as if galloping across the wind.

She and Pitch drew even with Jack, who turned onto his side, grinning at them. “Not bad, but then, I’m going pretty slow.”

“Don’t hold yourself back on our account,” Pitch said.

“I don’t wanna leave you behind.”

Umbra tossed her head and Jack heard her voice in his mind again. _Perhaps the frost spirit is making excuses because he knows he can’t best us._

“Whoa, okay, is that a challenge?” Jack asked. He chuckled at the smirk Pitch threw at him. “Feels like you guys are challenging me. The guy who’s been racing on the wind for 300 years.”

“Then you should be pretty fierce competition,” Pitch said.

“Wow, okay, guess we’re doing this.” Jack turned to look forward again. He checked the Sun and made sure he was heading northeast, though the winds also whispered to him the direction toward Burgess. “We’re going to be crossing the Pacific soon. How’s this… whoever reaches the United States first, as in flies over the coast of California, wins. Gotta be mainland, no islands or anything.”

“That will be quite a long race,” Pitch said.

“Yeah but we’ve got the winds to take us there. Won’t take me long at all. I don’t know about you guys though.”

Pitch leaned forward a bit, both hands grasping Umbra’s mane. “California it is. You’re on, Frost.”

“Wonderful. Winner gets to top tonight.”

Pitch laughed at that. “Those are the best stakes you can raise?”

Jack rolled so that he was floating along on his back, letting the wind carry him at a more serene pace. Umbra slowed with him, her gait closer to that of a trot now. Crossing his arms behind his head, Jack said, “So what stakes would you suggest?”

“How about… if I win, you let me try waxplay with you tonight?”

A tremble of apprehension went down Jack’s spine. Pitch had brought up waxplay while they were discussing kinks the previous night and it had sounded frightening yet intriguing. Jack could handle warmth but melted wax crossed the line into hot and he wasn’t sure his heat-sensitive skin would be able to tolerate it. But Jack had still given it a maybe. He just wasn’t expecting Pitch to want to try so soon.

“The candles I would use with you don’t melt at a hot enough temperature to cause burns,” Pitch assured him. “It would sting when it first touches your skin but then it would quickly cool. Especially for you, whose temperature is so much lower than the average person’s. It’s a pain that quickly becomes pleasure. And I think you would look so fetching with tracks of wax drying on your skin.”

“And if it’s… too painful for me?” Jack asked.

“Then we won’t continue. I’ll be happy that you gave it a try but won’t do it with you again. Though I may still ask if you would like to use them on me. I quite enjoy it.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re gonna win this race anyway,” Jack said. “So yeah, sure, if by some miracle you manage to win, I’ll do waxplay with you.”

Pitch’s eyes gleamed with delight. “Excellent. Now what would you like if you win? And do try to think of something more specific than topping, because I would gladly let you do that without a wager.”

“Hm… if I win…” Jack considered, then said, “Is there an opposite of waxplay?”

“Iceplay, I suppose. Though I’ve already become very accustomed to the cold from sleeping with you. Then again, there would be quite a difference between you touching me with your hands and you pressing an ice cube to my skin. It would be fun to test.”

“Yeah. In that case.” Jack smirked at him. “If I win, you’re taking a bath with me later. In ice water. Just absolutely filled with ice cubes. We can do the iceplay there to spice things up. How’s that?”

“That sounds like an incentive to win,” Pitch replied. “Our wager is set, then. I win, we do waxplay. You win, we do the ice bath. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Excellent. Then let us race. Give us the countdown.”

Jack turned so that his stomach was down, looking in the direction he wanted to go and gripping his staff more firmly as he prepared to call stronger winds to him. “Alright. We start when I reach go. Three. Two. One… Go!” A powerful air current caught him and sent him forward so fast that everything below him became a blur. He heard Umbra whinny and felt her confidence in his mind. He sensed her behind him, galloping through the air, far faster than he expected. Though he had moved fast, she wasn’t far behind, Pitch laughing as he encouraged her on.

Jack realized he was going to have to take this seriously. He rushed across the ocean, letting the wind lift him high until he met faster currents that took him toward North America. He was so high that a human would have trouble breathing. He glanced back and saw Umbra burst up through the clouds behind him. He swore and urged the wind to move him faster, and it seemed to respond that it could only go so fast, even with his power adding to it.

“As long as you move me faster than Umbra and Pitch,” he muttered, though at the speed he was going, the howling in his ears drowned out the sound of his voice. He felt a brief temptation to throw up a sheet of ice behind him to try and block the two, then decided against it. He was going to do this fairly.

Jack kept his eyes forward, resisting the urge to look back to check on the others. He could feel where they were at anyway. They were worryingly close. Every time he thought he was putting some distance between them, Umbra would get a burst of speed and draw very close to him before slowing again.

Usually, riding the wind was effortless. But with how much of his energy he was pouring into the air around him to travel at unnatural speeds, Jack was beginning to tire. He had already covered an incredible amount of ground, but there were hours left to go just to reach the California coast. Maybe he should have had them race to Hawaii. Too late to change his mind now, though.

They kept racing and soon it was daytime, as they crossed time zones and the Sun rose higher and higher over them. Jack called to Pitch, “Enjoy the warmth while you can!”

“I will, thank you!” Pitch shouted back. “You should acclimate to the heat while you’re at it. You’ll need it later.”

“Pft, yeah, whatever.” Jack was tired but he was feeling pretty good. Pitch hasn’t managed to catch him yet. Even if he sometimes drew so close that Jack could hear Umbra’s breathing, the horse just didn’t have what it took to best a winter spirit in the air.

Time slipped by and Jack grew more and more confident. It would likely be close but he was sure he was going to win this. They were close to halfway there. He let himself relax a bit, thinking about how refreshing that bath was going to be, especially if he had Pitch in there with him to snuggle up to and play with, see how he responded to sensual touch while surrounded by cold…

Jack was shaken from his musing by Umbra pulling up next to him, her nose going past his shoulder. He stared in shock. “Wha- hey!”

“Don’t get cocky now, we still have half a race left,” Pitch said. Jack looked back at him and saw that he looked as comfortable as Jack in the high altitude. He patted Umbra’s neck and then dug his heels into her sides. She lunged forward, going past Jack so easily it made him wonder if she could have done that all along.

“Get back here!” He focused back on the winds and realized he had let himself slow down slightly. He sped up, gaining on Umbra bit by bit until he was even with her. He glanced at the side of her face, amazed by her stamina. No regular horse would be able to run for this long. But then, she was far from a regular horse. She commanded the winds as easily as he did, moving with such grace for a creature so large. She reminded him of Pitch, in a way. Muscular, powerful, yet slender and elegant.

She was a worthy opponent.

The last half of the race was much more intense. They stayed right next to each other, Jack sometimes keeping ahead for several minutes, then Umbra galloping past him for a while, only for Jack to again overtake her. He and Pitch would banter whenever Jack had the breath for it, and Umbra often kept quiet, though they could both feel the thrill in her mind, along with her steadfast determination.

Umbra was the first to spot the coastline that would be their finish line. She whinnied while her voice crowed in Jack’s mind, _Enjoy getting covered in wax!_ She sped ahead, pouring everything she had into one final burst.

Jack was right at her heels, pleading with the winds to give him more, he needed to catch up with her and then get ahead, but he was exhausted and it was so hard to keep his focus on staying airborne. He shook his head and adjusted his grip on his staff, making himself concentrate. He could rest once he won, he told himself. He managed to get beside Umbra, his head drawing even with hers. He didn’t look at Pitch, instead focusing solely on the approaching coast. Almost there, just a couple minutes, after all that distance behind him he could make it just a little farther.

Umbra pulled ahead slightly. He pushed ahead too. Panting hard, she drew back. He felt triumphant, but his own speed faltered slightly too. His vision was going blurry. Umbra crept up next to him once more.

 _Remember to breathe,_ she told him.

He nodded, trying to take deeper breaths. He wasn’t sure he’s ever pushed his power to this extreme before. It had felt good earlier but now it was painful, the exertion causing his entire spine to ache, lungs burning as they demanded extra air that he was hardly able to provide.

There was a fuzziness in his head too and he hoped he wasn’t passing out. It would be a long way to fall. And hitting water from this height would be much like hitting concrete.

 _Focus,_ Umbra encouraged him.

“Yes, focus!” Pitch shouted. “On me beating you!” They raced ahead.

Jack groaned and his entire body protested as he went after them, somehow managing to stay beside them, he saw Umbra’s muzzle strain forward and he made sure his face was alongside it, not wanting them to claim they won by a nose…

They all looked down as they passed over land at last. Jack let out a rough exhale as he realized he couldn’t tell which of them had been ahead.

He felt uncertainty from Umbra, who swung her head back to glance at her rider, then looked at Jack.

Jack shrugged and told the winds they could relax and let him go, he would use a slower one now. It was with relief that he was able to drift along on a soft breeze, eyes closed as he caught his breath.

Umbra slowed too and trotted in a circle around him, and Pitch said, “I think we were ahead just a hair.”

“As if,” Jack said, voice rasping. His throat was raw from hours of heavy breathing. His occasional shouting hadn’t helped. Umbra was snorting and taking heavy breaths too, and he reached over to pat her shoulder, feeling her quivering. “I made sure I watched the end of her nose, I stayed right there next to it, she didn’t get ahead.”

“Your eyes were tearing up at the end, how can you be so sure?” Pitch asked.

“Because.” Jack used his sleeve to wipe the tear tracks from his cheeks. They were mostly frozen. “It was close but you definitely didn’t beat me.”

“This is why horse races use high speed cameras,” Pitch commented. He addressed Umbra. “Dear, don’t be humble, now. Do you think we beat him?”

 _He kept pace with me toward the end,_ she replied. _I am unsure of who was further ahead when we reached land. It was simply too close._

Pitch sighed. Then he looked over at Jack, frowned, and said, “We should land. I’ll teleport us the rest of the way.”

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Because you’re both exhausted. I don’t want either of you pushing yourselves for hundreds more miles across the country after a race like that. Come on.” Pitch guided Umbra down. She went, ears drooping as she did.

Jack followed them, feeling shaky. Though the race was over, he was having trouble completely catching his breath. He could also feel the beginnings of a headache.

“So did we… tie?” Jack asked.

“Since none of us can tell who was first, I suppose we did,” Pitch replied.

“I didn’t think it would be that close, I thought I’d be way ahead of you two.”

“Honestly, so did I.” Pitch winced as Umbra briefly bucked her back and snorted at him. “Apologies, Umbra, but he _is_ a winter spirit. He’s got far more experience riding the winds, I thought he would just leave us behind. But I’m very proud of your effort. You were incredible staying with him that whole time.”

Appeased, she shifted into a prancing sort of gait.

“A tie,” Jack sighed. They touched down onto a building with plenty of shadowy areas. “So neither of us get to do what we wanted, huh?”

“We could say that.” Pitch dismounted, taking a few moments to massage his thighs. Though he wasn’t the one putting in the effort, he was nonetheless sore from the hours of riding. His skin had flushed in the high altitude cold. “Or we could both do what we wanted. Unless you have an idea for a tiebreaker?”

“Not really. I think we should just… each do our thing. That we had betted on.” Jack swayed a bit and used his staff to keep himself upright. He was so tired. He noted that it was midday already; time zones were weird. Then he looked away from the Sun and at Pitch, who looked concerned.

“Are you feeling alright?” Pitch asked.

“Just tired, used a lot of magic…” Jack yawned and his knees buckled slightly. His headache was getting worse and he pressed a hand to his temple, grumbling.

Things faded out for a moment and he found himself leaning on Pitch, his legs unsteady and exhaustion like a lead blanket around his shoulders, encouraging him down, telling him to just close his eyes…

“Hold on, Jack, I’m teleporting us home,” Pitch told him but his voice was far away. “Umbra, that’s it, you hold on too.”

A soft whicker and the sound of a hoof pawing at the roof they stood on.

“I think we should do your thing first,” Jack murmured, thinking hazily of candles and heat. Then darkness swirled around him and he let the shadows take him.


End file.
